I Don't Bite, I Swear
by o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o
Summary: After he split up with Rosalie, Emmett wasn't able to truly smile. That is, until he found someone to smile about. EmmettOC, dedicated to my BFF, Alice Cullens.
1. I Don't Bite, I Swear

"Look, Emmett, she just wasn't right for you," the boy told his best friend as they walked down the hall to class

A/N: Hey ya'll, I've just made a few little changes, fixing things up a bit and making it flow better... so there aren't many major changes. I realized after I had everything posted that I had SERIOUSLY fucked up Emmett's and Kristina's schedules... so I fixed that, along with some other crap.

Also, this entire story is dedicated to Kristina, the _real_ Alice Cullens. Check out what she's writing, I'm sure you'll love it!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter One…

I Don't Bite, I Swear

"Look, Emmett, she just wasn't right for you," the bronze-haired boy told his best friend as they walked down the hall to class. "You can find someone better, trust me." He was just trying to console the other boy, to help him take the loss a bit better. Sadly, it was having the opposite effect, making Emmett more irritable and depressed.

"Just shut up," Emmett snapped at Edward, walking into the classroom. "I'd get over it if everyone just left me alone. You guys are _really_ starting to get annoying."

Edward looked a little hurt that his best friend had snapped at him like that, but realized he was going through a rough time. "Alright, well I'll talk to you later," he told the bigger teen with a slightly happier voice as he walked to his seat in the back.

For the next half-hour-or-so, neither boy paid attention to their advisory class, thinking it completely and utterly useless. Emmett was too broken up to pay attention to anything anyway, and just sat there, staring inattentively at the whiteboard. _God damn, Rose, you sure picked the perfect time to break everything off, didn't you?_ he thought miserably. Yeah, he was depressed that his first and only girlfriend had dumped him, but she could have been a bit more caring about it, couldn't she? Oh, she could have, let's say, _not_ dumped him the week before the dance. She could have _not_ dumped him after being together for over fifty years. But she had always been like that, Emmett realized, only interested in something as long as it was the best.

Apparently he wasn't the best anymore.

His 'brother' and 'sister' had been trying to cheer him up for days. They really seemed to care, but that wasn't enough. He just wanted Rosalie back. Nobody else could make him happy like she could.

His eyes snapped open, staring blankly ahead of him.

_That's not true_, he told himself. He wanted someone to stay by him, not cheat and ditch him like Rose had. He wanted a girl that didn't care that he was a vampire, that didn't care whether or not he looked great. He wanted someone to see through those things, someone to stick by him.

Before he knew it, the bell had rung and he and Edward were off to their next classes. He had Biology, and Edward had Gym.

Yet again, he sat in the back, the furthest person from the teacher, and continued his previous train of thought.

"Class," the teacher began, catching Emmett's attention. "We have a new student. Kristina, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Suddenly, a girl sitting next to him stood up. He hadn't even noticed she was there, but now that he had, he couldn't understand why he didn't see her before. She was beautiful and had maroon-colored hair, her dark, naturally auburn roots peeking out at the top. Her eyes were a hazy green. Her face was very classical and curved, yet had sharp details within it. She stood a little over five feet, and her body was average size, though she still looked strong.

"Hey, I'm Kristina. I just moved here from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, a small city south east of Pittsburgh, where nothing eventful happens. Ever," she said in an incredibly bored voice, further proving her thoughts on her old home.

She finished the normal, new-student-speech, and sat down, only to be bombarded with questions from around the class. The teacher told them all to calm down, and talk to her after the class was over if they were still interested and she had some spare time.

Emmett's thoughts got away from him again as he thought about Rosalie, and he didn't notice the new girl watching him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't quite place it, but he looked sad, depressed. But, it wasn't her business, so she let the poor boy sit there and mope.

A bit before class ended, she looked at her schedule to check for her next class. Trig. Oh joy. She then pulled out a map given to her by the annoying principal and looked for the room number. _Where is it... where is it...?_ After staring blankly at the map for a few minutes, Kristina heard the bell ring, and started to worry. She had no idea where her next class was.

She looked over at the boy sitting next to her, debating whether or not to ask him for some help, and finally decided. "Excuse me?" she asked politely, reaching up high to tap him on the shoulder.

He turned to look at her, a light smile on his face that contradicted what she had previously thought of him. "Hi. Need some help?" he asked nicely, covering his inner-pain with a smile.

"Uhm, yeah. Sorry to bother you, but could you show me where the Trig room is?" she asked nervously. She was intimidated by the boy standing before her. He was taller than her, and so muscular she knew it would be nothing for him to beat the shit out of her.

"I'll do one better. That's my next class, I'll take you there," he said, beginning to walk slowly out the door. Kristina followed hesitantly.

She desperately wanted to ask if he was alright, to comfort the teen, but held her tongue for now, waiting. She hardly knew him, and it would be rude of her to just ask what was wrong. She _hated_ it when other people repeatedly asked her what was wrong when she was sad, so she decided not to subject him to it.

"Here we are," he said, "room 517, Trig." He opened the door for her, then followed her in and brushed past her to sit in the back. She followed him back there, but put a few desks between the two, that way he didn't think she was weird by following him. He looked over at her and grinned. He had a wonderful smile, she noted.

"You can sit by me, you know. I don't bite, I swear," he told her, laughing lightly.

She blushed a bit and stayed where she was. The class was about to begin, and she thought it safer to stay away from the other teen. Sure, he was a nice guy, but she kind of needed to concentrate, and _not_ think about the hottie sitting near her.

Yet again, she was forced to make the stupid speech, but this time she had to stand at the front of the class and answer a bunch of questions about where she came from, and what her old school was like. Oddly enough, Emmett didn't ask a single thing, but let everyone else take advantage of her time. She thought this curious, especially considering he didn't ask her anything in her last class either. Maybe he was being polite, trying to give her more space than everyone else.

After almost ten minutes, the teacher stepped in and started _actually_ teaching like he was _supposed_ to do. She was thankful the spotlight was removed from her, however temporary that was, and walked the long way around the classroom to get back to her seat. She began to sit down where she had set her stuff before class, but noticed it was not there. She automatically thought it was just some trick on the 'new kid,' that when she hadn't been looking, somebody had stolen her stuff. But when she looked around, she saw her stuff moved over two seats, so it was right next to Emmett. She rolled her eyes and sat next to him, putting her stuff beneath her new desk.

Just as she had predicted, she had problems paying attention to the boring-as-hell class. And, of course, it was all because of Emmett. She could already tell there were going to be a few problems between her and the boy. It wasn't that she didn't like him, or anything - actually, the exact opposite. The big teen reminded her of a giant teddy bear, big, but soft.

Just as she had managed to force herself to concentrate on the teacher again, she felt a nudge on her elbow. She looked over and then down at her desk, and nearly sighed. There was a note sitting there, and there was only one person it could have been from.


	2. Crap

She stared at the note sitting on her desk, then she looked at the boy sitting next to her

AN: Like I said in the description, this story is dedicated to Kristina, the real Alice Cullens!! Hope ya'll like it! Oh, and I'm sorry it's so short, I just thought this was a good place to end the chapter... hahaha.

And reviews are always appreciated!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Two… Crap

She stared at the note sitting on her desk for another moment, then looked at the boy sitting next to her. He was staring straight ahead, paying attention to the teacher at the front of the class. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Kristina opened it, trying to be polite instead of just throwing it away, even though she was tempted. It turned out to be rather short, actually, and she answered quickly. She wanted to try to catch up with the math, and he wasn't quite _helping_.

**How do you like the school so far?** was all it said.

**Eh, it's alright. Personally, I wish I was still at home,** she wrote in response.

Kristina passed it back to the boy, and stared at the board some more, trying to figure out what she had missed in those few seconds she had been distracted. But before she could get back into it, she felt something brush her elbow again. Angrily, she opened up the folded piece of paper again, and read the reply.

**Say, do you have anywhere to sit for lunch? If not, you can sit with me and my brother and sisters. If you want, that is.**

She smiled a bit at the piece of paper she was holding. At least the boy was sweet, she had to give him credit for that. And sitting with the rest of his family would make things much less awkward between the two of them.

**Sure. Where do you normally sit?**

She waited a few minutes, expecting a quick reply, just like before. But none came, and she began to pay attention to the teacher again.

She caught on to what the teacher was explaining pretty quickly and got sucked into the boring class, temporarily forgetting about the boy. But about five minutes to the end of class, she felt a nudge on her arm. Looking down to the desk, she expected to see the note like before. She saw someone's hand instead, and looked up to see Emmett sitting sideways in his chair, looking at her. She immediately noted his odd – but _gorgeous_ -- golden eyes. They seemed much warmer than his smile looked, and she really liked them.

"My family and I sit towards the back of the cafeteria. Trust me, you'll notice us. We kinda... stand out. Oh, and avoid the preps. If they suck you in—" he sat up and back in his chair as the teacher turned back around to look towards where they were sitting"—you'll never get out," he finished in a whisper.

Kristina laughed quietly, trying not to let the teacher onto them. "Alright, I'll meet you there," she whispered back, and held out her hand to shake his when the teacher turned back around to face the whiteboard. He leaned forward and took it in a firm grip, then sat back in his chair as if nothing had happened. Then he sat up again, getting his stuff together.

Kristina turned to look at the clock, and realized that class would be getting out soon. She followed Emmett's lead and got everything together, piling her stuff on her desk.

After the bell finally rang, Kristina got up. She stretched before picking up her stuff and walking out the door, looking at a map she was given earlier to find her next class. Suddenly, she ran head first into a wall, falling back to land on her ass. "Damn..." she cursed, rubbing her head and looking up to glare at whatever or whoever it was that she had run into.

The 'wall' she had run into looked at her, grinning, and kneeled down in front of her. "Sorry, you alright?" he asked politely.

She smiled. "Yeah, just fine." She stood up and dusted herself off, straightening out her outfit.

That was the first time Emmett really noticed what she was wearing. She had on a big Invader Zim hoodie, some loose jeans, and a pair of Converse high-tops. All in all, she looked pretty laid back, not like most girls, and the complete opposite of Rosalie. "Sorry, again, let me help you," Emmett said as politely as he could, picking up her stuff and handing it to her.

"Oh, thanks," she said shyly. Then she looked back at him for an instant, and looked away. Too embarrassed to speak, she turned and took off down the hall, walking at a speed just short of jogging or running.

"Hey, wait!" Emmett called after her, jogging to catch up to the girl. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped and turned to him, looking down. "Do you even know where your next class is?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Uhhh..." she paused in thought, "no?"

He looked at her for a moment, as if waiting for her to continue. But when she didn't, he asked if she had her schedule with her. She dug through a bag she had with her for a moment, then froze.

"Lemme guess. You forgot it, didn't you?" he asked, nearly laughing. It was a pretty funny sight, Kristina standing in a hall with him, desperately digging through her bag to find one piece of paper.

"Ah HA!" she nearly cried, triumphantly pulling out a beat up piece of paper. She looked it over for a minute, then gave it to him. "Looks like I have World History next. You?" she asked.

He laughed. "Looks like we've got our next class together, too," he said, smiling at her. "Follow me, I'll show you where to go." He began to walk off, but his sharp hearing couldn't pick up her following him. He turned around and looked at her. "You coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry, just spaced out there!" she said, running to catch up to him. "Thanks for all your help, man. It's been hard being the new kid, so I really, _really_ appreciate this."

"Oh, it's no big deal. It's been getting really boring around here, so I'm kinda glad someone new came. And you seem pretty cool, too, so that's a plus!" he laughed a bit, but it didn't quite sound real.

She looked over at him, her head tilted. "You alright?"

"Huh?" he asked, clearly caught off guard. He hadn't expected the girl to catch onto his mood so fast. Most people hadn't noticed a thing.

"I asked if you were alright. You're acting happy, but you seem sad. And your smiles don't quite reach your eyes..." she trailed, looking away and blushing. She looked back up quickly when he didn't say anything. "Look, I'm really sorry if I said something I shouldn't have. You just seemed sad, and I didn't want to be a burden. If I'm here at a bad time, tell me."

He was silent for another moment, then he finally spoke. "You're just fine. I was only shocked that you noticed. Nobody else really seems to care, other than my family, 'course. I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me a little while ago, that's all. Thanks, though, for noticing. It was nice to tell someone outside my family," he finished sadly.

They finally reached the door to their classroom, after what seemed like ages, and stepped in.

"Emmett, Kristina, nice of you to join us," their teacher said, sitting at his desk and eyeing them suspiciously.

_Emmett..._ Kristina thought, realizing she hadn't known his name before. But that wasn't the point of what the teacher had said, she realized. They were late.

"Crap," Emmett mumbled, only loud enough for Kristina to hear. She looked at the clock. They were five minutes late.

"Sorry," she whispered to him.


	3. Lunch

"Sorry," Kristina whispered for the second time

A/N: Kristina, this story's for you, girl!!

I just made a few little, tiny changes, so if you've already read this chapter, don't bother reading it again. But I always appreciate reviews!! (By the way… check out the stuff written by Alice Cullens, she ROCKS!)

And reviews are always appreciated!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Three… Lunch

"Sorry," Kristina whispered for the second time.

Emmett was forced to ignore her as he explained to Mr. K. "Sorry, sir. Kristina lost her schedule, and we had to go back to our other class to get it. It must have taken longer than we thought; neither of us realized we would be late."

Mr. K stood there for a moment, staring at the two of them to double check that they were not lying to him. Finally, he spoke. "Fine. Go sit down, class has started."

They did as they were told, Kristina following Emmett to the back of the room again. It turned out that this class was even more boring than their last one, and Kristina almost fell asleep multiple times. And she would have gotten busted for it, too, if Emmett hadn't nudged her foot anytime her eyes were closed for longer than a few seconds, or if Mr. K was looking her way. Mercifully, the class ended, and everyone was set free. Emmett and Kristina both stood up at the same moment, and the boy gave her a moment to stretch her stiff muscles. She picked up her stuff, and they walked out again, looking at her schedule.

_Darn..._ Emmett thought. He had PE next, but Kristina was off to Spanish. She looked up at him, silently asking where the heck she was supposed to go. He smiled. It was funny how clueless she was at times. He found the different looks she always had on her face attractive, and beautiful, but he loved it when she looked clueless.

"Go down this hall, at the very end on the left is where you're going," he told her, grinning broadly.

She nodded her head confidently, and turned to go where he had pointed. "Thanks Emmett!" she called, turning around and walking backwards. "I'll see you at lunch, right?" she called, slowly getting further and further away.

"Yeah, but you might wanna turn around!" Emmett called back, just before she nearly fell over some kid bent over picking up something he had dropped.

"I'm alright!" she called, standing straight and laughing hard. Emmett laughed as well. He could tell she was going to be entertaining.

Both of their classes passed rather uneventfully. Emmett had to deal with Edward's nearby probing, trying rather successfully to block his thoughts from his 'brother'. Kristina had to deal with getting used to a Spanish teacher that only spoke Spanish, even though Kristina had only taken the class three years earlier, and didn't remember much of anything.

Their classes finally ended, and Emmett changed quickly, determined to get out of his class as fast as possible without looking too suspicious. He stood there by the door, waiting impatiently for his teacher to let them out, or at least a moment when he could sneak out. That moment didn't come, so he had to wait a bit longer with everyone else to get out. The bell rang at last, and he rushed out the door, hoping to catch Kristina before she got herself completely lost.

He was the first out the door, and didn't notice that there was someone waiting for him a little way down the hall, leaning on the wall.

"Emmett, where ya goin'?" the girl asked playfully, standing up and shifting her things into a more comfortable position in her arms.

He finally noticed her, and would have blushed if he had been able to. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost. Thought I'd help you figure out your next class. See if we've got it together." He just couldn't quite seem to speak in complete sentences all of a sudden, making him sound more than a bit flustered.

Kristina's smile grew wider and she let out a small laugh. "Well, I've actually got Lunch next, so I'm pretty sure we have that together. But after that, I've got World Civ."

Emmett felt like a total moron, but hid it as he excused himself to go put some of his books in his locker.

Still feeling like an idiot, he said a temporary goodbye to Kristina. Why the heck was he so obsessed with her all of a sudden? _'Cause she fills the gap Rosalie left..._ he thought, almost miserably. It was amazing, though, that when he thought about Kristina, he wasn't sore about Rose. She had left him, ditched and cheated and hurt him. He had a aright to move on, and it seemed that Kristina was helping with it. He couldn't wait to get to know the mysterious girl more...

He went as quickly as he could, but it felt like he took forever. Dead set to _not_ look weird again in front of Kristina, Emmett calmly walked into the cafeteria. He looked around at everyone, noting his family sitting in their usual place, minus Rose. He suddenly realized he hadn't told them Kristina was going to sit with them, but calmed down considerably when he remembered Edward had probably read his thoughts and told the rest. Why he had spaced that off, he had no idea...

After just a bit of searching, Emmett spotted Kristina in line for her lunch, getting a salad, fries, and an ice tea. An odd combination in his opinion...

He stood at the end of the line to wait for her, having already gotten his lunch, and waved to her once she was done. "Still wanna sit with the rest of my family?" he asked her, almost afraid for her to meet them.

"Yeah. Nobody else really talked to me today, so I don't have anywhere to go other than with you." She paused, then added quickly, "not that I don't want to sit with you, I just mean—"

"It's cool. Calm down," Emmett comforted her, reaching his table.

Everyone turned to look at the two.

"Kristina, this is Edward, Alice, and Jasper, my brothers and sister, and Edward's girlfriend, Bella" he introduced, pointing each of them out. They each waved at her in turn, seeming quite friendly. She waved back, smiling nervously. She was quite determined not to make a total moron of herself, and she'd be damned if she failed. Literally, actually.

She and Emmett sat down, the others making room for them, and Kristina began eating. She was starving, but she ate slowly, observing each member of the group.

Edward was the first to speak to her. "How do you like it here so far? Wish you were back home yet?" he asked, smiling kindly.

Before she answered, Kristina took note of his golden eyes, almost the same color as Emmett's, except warmer and softer. Where Emmett's looked almost hard at times, Edward's looked molten. "I like it here alright so far, but it's definitely boring."

Alice spoke, energetically, "that's what everyone says on their first day. And let me tell you, it only gets worse..."

Kristina laughed at the pixie-like girl, immediately realizing they were going to be good friends. "Well, that sounds promising, doesn't it?" she joked.

"Eh, you'll find something—or someone—to pass the time with," Jasper said, smirking.

Emmett shot Jasper a sharp glare, warning him to get off that subject. Jasper did as Emmett wanted, trying to make it easier for him to get over Rosalie. Everyone had been going pretty easy on him lately, and they had even rejected Rose after they found out. She still lived in the same house as them, but that sure didn't mean they had to speak, or even see each other.

The rest of their time was spent asking normal questions around the table, Kristina slowly finding out more about Emmett's family.

After a bit, Kristina finished and dumped her tray. When she came back, she found everyone sitting there without their lunches in front of them. That was odd, she hadn't seen them throw them away... Actually, she realized she hadn't seen them eat anything at all, or even glance at the tray in front of them. She found it quite strange, but brushed it off, thinking she was just over-analyzing things.

They all sat around for a while, waiting for their lunch period to end by talking a bit more. They were mostly silent, which gave Kristina a chance to observe each person a bit more.

Edward seemed very happy, probably because of the girl standing next to him, Bella. She was smiling warmly at him, and talking about something Kristina couldn't quite follow.

Jasper and Alice seemed to stay silent, content with sitting next to each other, not saying a word. Alice was quite small compared to everyone else, and seemed to fit perfectly with Jasper, who seemed a lot calmer than her. They balanced each other out, creating the perfect match.

Of course, that got Kristina thinking about a boyfriend, and the one that had left her just a month before. But she refused to talk about this to anyone here, wanting to start anew. But at times she wished she could just talk to someone, like maybe Emmett, and not have to cover things up or hide. She wanted to find her perfect match, but could tell she probably wasn't going to. It was a sad thought, but there was no way she could deny it.

There was still a small chance for her, very small in her opinion, to find her perfect someone, but she just couldn't think about that happening. She was content the way she was, she always told herself.

Emmett looked over at the girl he had brought to the table, and noticed the sad look on her face. But, of course, before he could say anything, the bell rang, and he was forced to wait.


	4. Eclipse

A/N: I haven't been putting up disclaimers, but if you're dumb enough to think I own Twilight, you need some serious help...

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Four… Eclipse

The rest of the day passed completely uneventfully, and Kristina was beginning to realize why people didn't like this place very much. She had a bit of homework, and the teachers gave her copies of notes so she would be able to keep up with the class. Overall, she had some pretty nice teachers, except for one. Her art teacher was vicious, and she didn't quite seem to understand that not everybody can draw perfectly. She graded everything on quality, not improvement or effort. Kristina could tell they weren't going to get along too well…

After the last bell rang, she walked out of her class and down the hall in a daydream, thinking about what Emmett was doing at that exact moment. She hardly noticed that she made it to her locker safely, and that there was someone there waiting for her. She was broken out of her thoughts by his voice.

"How'd your first day go?" he asked politely, leaning off the lockers to let some other kids get to them. "Hope you didn't have too many awful teachers."

Kristina smiled over at him as she opened her locker. "Nah, they weren't too bad. But I swear Mr. K and my art teacher are out to get me…"

Emmett laughed at this. "Ha, you'll get used to 'em after a while. But what kind of homework did you get?"

She pulled out her purse and her backpack. "I just have to copy down a bunch of notes for a couple classes, and I think that's about it. You?" she asked politely.

"Man, you're lucky. I have to write an essay, work on some Trig homework I got a while ago, and study for some tests I have comin' up."

"Ouch," Kristina said sympathetically, standing up and closing her locker, stuff in hand. "Well, sorry to say it, but I gotta get home before my mom does. She'll probably freak if I'm not there..." She laughed a bit at the end, her smile lighting up her eyes.

Emmett grinned. "It's cool, I understand. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked hopefully. He really wanted to see her again, but it would be creepy if he followed her. He didn't want to be known as some creepy stalker, though nobody outside his family would really find out.

Then again, if his family _did_ find out, he'd never hear the end of it... Especially after he gave Edward such a hard time for the same thing...

"Yeah, I'll be here," she said, climbing into her car. Emmett liked it. It was a dark green, pin-striped Eclipse, and very well taken care of. He could tell she was proud of her car.

"Alright, I'll see you later than!" Emmett called over his shoulder as he walked away toward his Jeep. Compared to Kristina's car, his was beat to hell, in his opinion. But that was only because he had had it for so long. He made a mental note to clean it sometime soon.

"Emmett!" a sweet voice called from behind him, followed by three pairs of footsteps.

He turned, facing the rest of his family. "Oh, hey guys!"

Edward walked up to him, smirking, and he knew he was going to be in trouble. "So, what's with the new girl?" he asked, grinning knowingly. Hopefully he hadn't told the others too much.

Emmett spoke with confidence, trying not to give up too much information. "Oh, I was just helping her around today," he told the three, still smiling.

Jasper and Alice smirked. "This is going to be fun..." Alice mumbled, but they all heard it.

"I agree completely," the three boys said in unison, walking to their respective cars and driving off toward home.


	5. Thinking

A/N: This ENTIRE story is written for Kristina, my long lost twin

A/N: This ENTIRE story is written for Kristina, my long lost twin!! I love ya, girl!! PS, read anything and everything written by Alice Cullens, she's AWESOME!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Five… Thinking

The ride home was fast, considering Emmett and the rest of his family drove at least twice the speed limit. The entire time, Edward tried to keep his car as close as possible, trying to read Emmett's thoughts. Of course, that was much harder after Emmett realized what he was doing and blocked them.

Once they all got home, Emmett used his extreme speed to get to his room before he was bombarded with questions. Once up there, he put some CDs in his sound system and turned it on, trying to think about the music, and not Kristina. It didn't work too well. Almost every song he heard reminded him of her, or something he wanted to know about her, and he just couldn't stop thinking about the girl...

After a while, Edward walked up to his door. Without waiting for a knock, Emmett said, "Come in," and sat up on the couch he had been laying on.

His brother walked in and closed the door behind him, though he knew it wouldn't do any good. Everyone else would be able to hear the conversation no matter what. "How ya doin'?" Edward asked conversationally, watching Emmett.

"Horrid," Emmett sighed. He stared at his 'brother' for a moment, letting him read his thoughts for the first time all day. _I can't stop thinking about her, man. She just won't leave me alone. Everything I hear, everything I do reminds me of her in some odd way. I'm going to lose it if I can't see her soon._

Edward smirked. "Sucks, doesn't it?" Emmett nodded his head, closing his eyes calmly. "Well, now somebody knows how I felt before I really got together with Bella."

_Gee, thanks for the help there Edward..._ Emmett thought, groaning and collapsing back into the couch. "Hey, man," Edward started. "That just makes it all the better once you actually get together with her."

_I can't see that happening._

"And why the heck not? Man, she was thinking of you almost as much as you were thinking of her!"

Emmett glared at his brother. "Why were you listening to her thoughts?" he asked threateningly.

Edward realized he was treading on thin ice, and answered as quickly as he could. "You know I can't always choose who I listen to."

Emmett was still glaring at his brother, but not as much. "Edward, if you're just gonna bug me about Kristina, go back to Bella. I'm sure she's missing you."

Edward took the underlying threat seriously and walked out of his brother's room. Just outside the door, though, he said, "Emmett, Alice sees you getting together with Kristina. Don't fight it because you don't want to hurt her, trust me, that just makes things worse..."

Kristina's ride home was quiet, and relatively short. The entire time, though, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about the huge teen she had become fast friends with. _Maybe more—NO! I'm not going to try that again..._ After her last break-up, Kristina promised herself she wasn't going to try dating again anytime soon.

The hole was too big in her to fill, just by dating some random boy she had only met earlier that day. She brought her wonderful Eclipse to a stop behind her mom's car in the driveway. Climbing out, she grabbed her stuff from the passenger seat and shut the door behind her.

She walked up to the front door and pulled a key out of her purse, unlocking the door and stepping inside as quietly as she could. Maybe, if she was lucky, her mom would be completely oblivious to her presence.

"Where have you been?!" her mother called from a different room. She was probably busy obsessively cooking something for her bakery.

"I just got out of school ten minutes ago, mom. I can't be here every instant I'm not at school. You're gonna have to get used to that," Kristina called back, heading down the stairs to her room.

"Fine. Just as long as you're not out partying with a bunch of boys..." Kristina didn't hear the rest, for she had slammed her door and turned on her radio. Her mother never stopped bugging her about things like that. She always had to have good grades, or get screamed at because they weren't quite up to her mother's expectations. It really sucked, but when you grow up with it, you get used to it.

She flopped down on her bed, sprawled out, and stared at the ceiling. If she could just stop thinking about a certain boy, she'd probably be fine. She could keep her grades up for her mother. But every time she thought about school, she pictured him sitting next to her in class, and her thoughts got away from her. Each and every time that happened, she shook her head, forcibly bringing herself back to the present.

After staying like that for almost an hour, she sat up and got out her homework, finishing off everything she hadn't gotten to during the day. The classes she had to work on, just so happened to be the same ones she had with Emmett. Wow. Completely shocking.

After that was all done, she got on the computer and surfed around for a bit, randomly looking at anything that seemed interesting. Around midnight, she began to get tired, and decided to shut down for the night.

She got out from behind her desk and stretched, looking around at her messy room. She hadn't been there for very long, but her room was already a mess. Clothes were mostly thrown into one corner of her room, though some of them had escaped to lay across her floor. Books were sitting on shelves and scattered across the ground. Posters were pinned up on the walls to make the place look more unique. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of silk PJs, put them on, and climbed into bed, smuggling into her black silk sheets and night-blue comforter. It took a while, but eventually her eyes began drifting closed. Her last coherent thought was: _I'm glad I moved here..._ then she let sleep over-take her, dreaming about a tall, strong boy she had met earlier that day...


	6. Families

She got out from behind her desk and stretched, looking around at her messy room

A/N: I think you people understand by now that I'm NOT Stephenie Meyer, this is for Kristina, and read anything and everything by Alice Cullens.

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Six... Families

"Ugh..." Kristina groaned, slamming her hand down hard on her alarm clock. Slowly, she sat up in bed and swung her feet out into the colder air. Climbing down off her bed, she headed to her closet to find something to wear. After a bit, she picked out a tight Gir shirt that said 'SCARY MONKEY SHOW', which she had gotten from Hot Topic, a pair of loose, beat up jeans, and her high tops. She walked upstairs and into the kitchen, fixing herself some frozen waffles and a bowl of cereal. She ate slowly, still trying to wake up.

"Kristina, it's time to get your ass out of bed!" her mother called from her room, yet again ignorant to where her daughter was.

Kristina rolled her eyes, even though her mom couldn't see her, and sighed loudly. "I'm already done eating, mom, so I'm just gonna leave now. See you later," she called, rushing out the door before her mom could say anything.

Going almost as fast as she could, Kristina rushed to get away from that awful house. Not that school was much better, mind, but at least Emmett was there. He was fun to talk to, and actually seemed to give a crap about her and her life. It was a nice feeling that she never got from her insensitive mother.

Kristina sped to school, oddly enough, and parked her Eclipse around where Emmett had parked his Jeep the day before. He and his family weren't here quite yet, which made her feel a little bit less like a freak. She really needed to get control of herself, she had only met this boy yesterday, and she was already attached. _Pathetic..._ she thought to herself as she shook her head.

She walked slowly to her locker, deep in thought. What exactly was so special about this boy? And why could she not stop thinking about him? Kristina was beginning to think she needed some serious mental help, when she ran into her wall again, not quite falling this time, but stumbling back a couple steps.

"Crap," she mumbled, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"Kris, you alright?" Emmett asked, taking a few steps towards her and looking deeply concerned. "I hadn't meant to run into you like that. Again."

The girl's eyes shot open. "Kris?" she asked, staring at the boy before her, wondering why he had used her nickname after only knowing her for a day. She found it odd, but what was stranger was the fact that she liked it. It didn't sound as strange coming from him. With him using 'Kris,' it didn't sound like a boy's name, for some unknown reason.

Emmett would have blushed. "Yeah, sorry," Emmett started. "I used to know a girl named Christina, and she always told people to call her Chris. Old habits die hard, I guess..." he lied nervously, fishing with a light laugh, his eyes lighting up.

"No, it's not that I mind, it's just that nobody's used that nickname in a while..." she told him, remembering an old friend of hers. She smiled brightly again, and started walking towards her first class. "So, how was your night?" she asked conversationally.

He grinned internally at the thought that he didn't sleep. "Restless," he answered cryptically. His grin grew wider as he thought more and more about what her reaction would be if he told her he never slept. Ever.

"Emmett?" Kristina asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "You alright there, man?"

He resisted the urge to grab her hand, and instead shook his head to clear his thoughts. With her hand so close to his face, he could no longer ignore her scent. It was distinctly feminine, and not clouded by perfumes or body sprays. She smelled tropical, sweet and refreshing. _Damn…_ Emmett thought, inhaling her scent further.

"Yeah, I'm great," he told her, shifting his stuff by his side.

They nearly slept through their respective first classes, finally reaching the first class they had together, walking to the back of the classroom to the same seats as before. Kristina set her stuff down by her desk, and turned to sit sideways in her seat to face the teenage boy. "So, what'd you do last night?"

"Eh, finished some homework and listened to some music. You?" he asked.

"Fought with my mom and worked on some homework. A lot of fun," she said sarcastically. Her smile lit up, but her eyes seemed a bit dull, in Emmett's opinion. There was definitely something she wasn't telling him.

"Yeah, sounds… bad. Fight with your mom much?" he asked. He was becoming concerned. She seemed to have a tougher life than him at the moment, and that was cause for concern. That, and he liked it more when she smiled. It filled the hole he had with light, not getting rid of it, but making him feel better.

She sighed deeply. "Yeah, we don't exactly get along. Actually, that's an understatement. We're at each other's throats most of the time. Isn't it just great?" she finished in sarcasm. Emmett just sat there, staring at her. How the heck could she be so calm about something like that?

"Sounds hard. I mean, why move here with your mom if you fight with her so much? Wouldn't it be more logical to live with your dad?" Emmett asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"You would think that, wouldn't you? But, I don't know where my dad is at the moment, so I'm forced to live with my horrid mother." She paused, taking a deep breath and pasting a fake smile across her face. "So, what's your family like? It seems pretty big."

"Oh, my family's alright. You've met my siblings, and my mother and father are great. I swear, Esme could love just about anything, and Carlisle works in the hospital," Emmett said happily; he loved his family to death. Except for one _certain_ member. Sometimes he wished she'd just crawl under a rock and die, and other times he wished for her back. It was really confusing.

Suddenly, with things in perspective, he felt guilty. He had a great family, while Kristina's was falling apart at the seams.

He looked down. "Sorry, I shouldn't brag about stuff like that."

Kristina still smiled. "I don't know why you're sorry. A great family is something to be proud of. I'm just stuck with mine, and there's nothing anybody can do about it."

Emmett looked up at her, and caught a glimpse of her eyes before he had to rush off to class before it started. They seemed bright on the outside, but there was still something haunting about them...


	7. Eyes

I Don't Bite, I Swear by Skweek-chan

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Seven... Eyes

The first half of the day passed quickly, Emmett and Kristina spending most of their time talking and passing notes. Lunch finally came, and everyone got their food and sat down at the usual table.

Kristina looked around at the family. Yet again, nobody touched their food. "Are you guys gonna eat?" she asked hesitantly.

Emmett turned and looked at her. "We don't eat much," he started. "We run on very little food."

Kristina nodded as though in understanding, but still wondered what was up. After she finished her salad and everyone else threw everything away, they sat back down at their table and talked.

Kristina spoke up suddenly. "Are golden eyes a family trait, or what? I've noticed all of you guys have 'em."

Everyone seemed to freeze completely for a split second, but then Alice spoke up. "Yeah, we inherited them. Great, aren't they?"

"They look wonderful," Kristina complimented with an inconspicuous glance at Emmett that rest _almost_ missed. _Almost._

A slow silence fell over the group as the conversations slowly halted. Everyone in their own thoughts, nobody really speaking. Alice stared off into space, then whispered something to Jasper. A small grin came to his face and he nodded slightly, whispering something back to her.

Emmett glared at the two. "Anything you two'd like to share?" he asked with a threatening edge in his voice.

Alice grinned brightly and shook her head. "Nope. Might tell you later, though, if you behave."

Kristina looked between all three of the siblings, utterly confused. Emmett shot Alice another glare, then turned his attention back to Kristina. "Sorry about that. My _siblings_ seem to have a secret that they don't care to share."

Kristina looked at the two, then back at Emmett before answering. "Oh, that's cool. A secret's only a secret if the one it's about doesn't know it. So it's not too hard to guess what it's about, if you think about it..."

Everyone stared at the girl before them, jaws nearly dropping. Emmett just grinned at her, thought, then turned to look at Alice and Jasper. "I need to talk to you guys when we get home," he said so softly and quickly, Kristina couldn't hear a thing. Alice, Jasper, and Edward, however, caught it all.

The bell rang before the three could say anything to their bigger brother, so everyone had to get to their next classes.

Kristina, disappointed that her time with Emmett was over for the moment, took her sweet time walking with him to class. They had Computer Apps. together this period, and sat next to each other to continue their conversation, which seemed to be taking a turn for the weird.

"What kind of guys were at your other school?" Emmett asked curiously.

Kristina gave him a funny look, but answered anyway. "Jackasses, most of them. I didn't really pay much attention to them; a waste of space, if you ask me. There was one guy that I hung out with for a while, then dated, but he dumped me a little while back."

Emmett looked at her eyes, seeing the hurt that boy had caused. _Man, if I ever get a hold of him..._ he thought, grinding his teeth to stop himself from saying something rude or vulgar. "I know how you feel. My girlfriend dumped me just a bit ago, too. And right before the dance..." He had mumbled the last part, looking down and only half intending for the girl beside him to hear.

"That sucks..." she muttered.

Emmett's head shot up. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to whine to you about something you don't care about... Sorry," he repeated like an idiot.

"Settle down, man, its ok. I'm in the same boat." She grinned, turning to face the front of the room as their class began.

_In one ear and out the other... _Emmett thought as the class drew on and he paid it no attention. It was hard for him to concentrate in any class he had with the girl beside him. She was quite a distraction most of the time. Of course, she was quite a pleasant distraction, in his opinion. He really needed to control his thoughts, though. Sure, it was alright to think about her occasionally, but it was starting to become an unhealthy obsession. Also, his thoughts seemed to take sharp... turns after a while. Vicious turns that he tried his hardest to ignore. Most of the time he was successful, too.

The bell finally rang, releasing him from his thoughts. He stood and picked his stuff, waiting for Kristina to get organized. "Alright, I'm good now..." Kristina said, standing up from her kneeling position on the floor.

Emmett smiled, his eyes bright. _What's the point of thinking about her?_ he thought miserably. _I'm not going to risk her. No way in hell am I trying that..._ His eyes dulled a bit on that train of thought, but he brightened up when Kristina spoke again. She just had that kind of effect on him.

"Hey, man, you alright?" she asked, concerned. He looked a bit out of it, and his eyes were colder than normal. Something definitely wasn't right, and she wanted to help.

"Yes, _mother_, I'm fine," he teased, walking beside her.

She playfully punched him in the arm, smiling. "Just makin' sure. You seem depressed..."

"I'm serious, I'm ok. I've just been thinking about Rose lately... That's all. I'll be alright in a bit."

Kristina sighed deeply, letting it out slowly. "If you wanna talk about it, talk. If not, that's fine." She sped off ahead of him, trying to collect herself. She _hated_ that someone had done this to Emmett. She was fine admitting that part, though. It was what else she felt that scared her. She felt like tracking down this Rosalie chick and beating her to pulp. Someone like Emmett shouldn't be this depressed...

Emmett stared at Kristina, reaching their class and opening the door for her. They walked to their seat, like normal. But, out of the blue, Emmett gently grabbed Kristina's elbow. "It's my turn to ask, now. Are _you_ ok?"

Kristina stared blankly at him for a moment, debating her answer. Then she pasted a fake smile on her lips. "Yeah, Emmett, I'm fine!" she lied.

He let her go, though he could the pick-up in her heartbeat from lying.


	8. Nightmare

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Eight… Nightmare

"Emmett?" Edward asked as he walked out to his car with his older 'brother'.

Emmett ignored him, staring blankly ahead. He was still out of it, apparently.

"Emmett?" Edward tried again, punching his brother's arm to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Emmett asked, still staring ahead and walking to his Jeep.

Edward just sighed. "Dude, just ask her out already! Jasper's about ready to explode from her emotions, not to mention yours. And let me tell you, I'm tired of listening to you two."

Emmett looked over at his brother, finally reaching his Jeep. "Yeah, well, much easier said than done. I understand how you feel, now, man. With Bella, I mean. I swear, I'll never bug you about that again. It feels horrible…" Emmett shuddered.

"Heh. I know. The horrible thing is, you never get used to it. And it sure doesn't go away…" Edward told his best friend, climbing into his silver Volvo. He kept talking, closing the door and not rolling down the window. There was no need. "Get her before she's gone, man. Don't do something you'll regret." He drove off without saying a word else.

_Damn,_ Emmett thought, nearly kicking himself. He had completely forgotten to ask one of his siblings about what they had been whispering. He desperately wanted to figure out what was so interesting to them. With this in mind, he sped off as fast as he could after his brother, pushing his Jeep almost as far as it could go.

Of course, he never caught up with Edward, considering he drove the fastest out of the group. Emmett pushed his Jeep as fast as it could go.

After a short while, he reached home after everyone else, parking behind their cars.

In no rush, he walked into the house and set his stuff down by the door. Slowly, he walked up the stairs and to his room, turning on some music to possibly help drown out the conversation he was soon to have. _Edward, mind if I borrow your time?_ Emmett thought, knowing Edward would be paying attention. He didn't want to risk talking and letting the rest of the house in on their conversation.

"Bella, I'll be just minute. Carlisle wants to talk to me," Edward said in his room. _Crap,_ Emmett thought. _Sorry, man, I didn't know you had Bella over. Nice lie, though._

"Shut up, Emmett," Edward mumbled as he sped into his brother's room. "So, what's up man?"

Emmett opened his mouth to answer, but clamped it shut, deciding to not talk. _What the hell am I supposed to do, man? I can't really say I like this feeling, but I don't agree with the thought of her being around a family of vampires… But then I can't stand the thought of _not_ being around her…_

Edward sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, you just gotta make a decision. I made mine. You make yours."

It was Emmett's turn to sigh, rolling his eyes. _Well, you're a lot of help, aren't you? How the hell do you make a decision like that? It's not physically possible!_ Emmett was deep in thought for a moment, thinking about anything and everything about the girl. _How the hell did you decide what was best for Bella?_

"Well, to start, I told her that I was a vampire. Things just kind of happened after that. You gotta decide, though."

Emmett was silent, blocking his thoughts for a moment. Then his eyes lit up, and Edward was allowed back into his thoughts. _What was it that Alice and Jasper were talking about at lunch earlier? I don't know that I trust either of them to tell me the truth._

Edward laughed. "Our little Alice had a vision… Wow, it was interesting, too…" Edward got lost in his thoughts, grinning maliciously.

"Edward…" Emmett threatened. He started glaring at Edward after he continued laughing.

Edward smirked. "You really want to know?" he asked. The other boy nodded hesitantly. "She saw you two getting together."

Emmett looked at him, confused about why the hell that was a reason to be so freaking secretive. "Please tell me there's more to it than that…?" Emmett asked, massaging his temples. This was probably as close to a headache as he was ever going to get again.

"Oh, yeah. There was a lot more. Let me just say, you're a gonna have your hands full for a while…" Edward became serious again. "But this means you can't push her away any longer. To start, just ask the girl out. It'll all work out after that."

Kristina walked through her front door and locked it behind her, counting off the seconds until her mom began yelling _1, 2, 3, 4—_

"Kristina?!" she heard her mother call from the kitchen. _So close to a new record, mom. So close..._

"What, mom?" Kristina yelled back, walking down the stairs to her room. Maybe, just maybe, she could get some privacy there... The odds were against her, though. The only time she had any privacy was when everyone else was asleep. Then she had free-reign of the house and internet. The only thing she seemed to like around this horrid house.

"Do you have any homework?" her mother called from above in an annoyed voice. Like that was anything new, that was just about the only way she seemed to talk to her daughter.

"Yes, mother, that's what I'm working on _right now_!" Kristina screamed to get her mom to stop bothering her. She was old enough to know how to take care of herself. "I'll be up in a while to eat!" she yelled after a long silence. Her mother never responded.

_Well, fine then!_ Kristina thought, plopping down on her comfy bed and getting to work. But, at the first thought of school, an image of Emmett popped into her head. _Damn... _the teenager thought, trying to shake the thought away and concentrate. _Much easier said than done..._ she told herself as she began to space out, thinking about him. Trying to work now was no use; she'd just do it in the morning or before school started.

After about an hour of staring of into space and day-dreaming, she gave up completely and tried to get some sleep. Which wasn't much more successful. After _another_ hour or so, she fell into a light sleep, tossing and turning throughout the night.

_She ran down the halls of her empty school, panting hard. 'Keep going,' she had to keep telling herself every time she considered stopping, or just collapsing wherever she was at that moment. Her knees had begun to feel shaky a while back, and she didn't know how much longer they would keep her up._

_Then, as if on cue, they gave out, sending her flying to the floor. She tried to get up, shoving at the ground under her with weak arms that didn't seem able to hold her weight. A second passed, and she gave up._

_Listening as hard as she could, she tried to hear something, anything that would tell her whether or not the thing was chasing her. She heard nothing, but that didn't necessarily mean he was gone. He was really quiet, she just couldn't hear him. That was a bad sign..._

_Suddenly, something picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all. Whatever it was threw her against the wall, keeping a hold of her shoulders and making sure her face was pressed into the wall. Her breath was forced out of her lungs, and she tried to get another. It was just about as successful as running had been._

_"Why do you keep running?" a sweet voice asked right behind._

_Why did she? She didn't know herself, she just knew that whatever was holding her against the wall was not friendly. She didn't answer it, deciding to keep her smart mouth shut._

_"I'm harmless," the voice continued, letting up on some of the pressure to her shoulders, letting her slump down the wall a bit so her feet were on solid ground again. Not that that helped much, of course. "I'd never do anything to hurt you..." the thing said again._

_'Well, that's a load of crap...' she thought._

_"I swear, it's true. I just wanted to tell you. I'm not what you think I am. Sorry."_

_The thing behind her let her go completely, giving her the chance to spin around to see who it had been. She only caught golden eyes before she passed out._


	9. Joke

I Don't Bite, I Swear by Skweek-chan

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Nine... Joke

_Golden eyes..._ Kristina thought as she slowly woke. She had had that cursed nightmare many times last night, waking up, shaking and on the verge of tears each and every time. She didn't know why it had affected her so. She didn't even know who the mysterious boy had been, but she couldn't help being terrified by him.

Slowly, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, becoming more alert. She groaned as she looked at her alarm clock, still screaming its call at her. She had exactly one hour until she had to be walking out her front door.

With this in mind, she got dressed tiredly, throwing her hair into a low pony tail to keep it out of her eyes. She ended up wearing a pair of cute, low-cut jeans, and a nice, warm, long sleeve shirt in a soft brown color. Considering how she felt, she looked pretty good. She was a bit shocked, but she hoped Emmett would be too… distracted to notice how she felt. Part of her did, at least. The other part was looking for something else to love about the guy.

"Mom, I'm leaving!" she called to her mother, walking out the door without waiting for an answer, just like normal. She slammed the door behind her, walking briskly to her little Eclipse. She just wanted to get to school. Maybe seeing Emmett would make her feel a bit better.

She actually drove at the speed limit today, spacing out every once in a while. She was lucky to stay on the road. She was beginning to worry about herself. This was starting to become unhealthy, and dangerous at times. Why the heck did a boy have that kind of effect on her?

She pulled up next to the bigger teen's Jeep and parked, shutting off her little engine. Before getting out of her car, though, she leaned back into her seat, trying to get herself to clear her mind and calm down before her class started.

A light tap on her window broke her out of her thoughts, making her jump and nearly scream. Closing her eyes and putting her hand over her heart, she took in deep, ragged breaths. "Damn, Emmett!" she said loudly as she opened the door and stepped out in front of the teen. "Do that again and I just might have a freaking heart attack!" she said jokingly, leaning back in to get her stuff off of the passenger seat. Emmett forced himself to walk away now before he did something he'd regret. _Control, Emmett. Control,_ he told himself as he forcibly looked away from Kristina's ass. He could almost hear Edward telling him off.

"Aw, come on. It was just a joke," Emmett said playfully. They walked inside together in a companionable silence.

She sighed as she reached her locker. "Fine, I'll forgive you." Emmett grinned. "But don't do it again, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Emmett said formally, saluting her as she threw her locker shut and walked away from him.

Kristina laughed. "Come one, Emmett, quit. I'm beginning to have issues staying serious around you, man."

"Why is that bad?" Emmett asked as he held the door open for Kristina, then walked in himself. _I would _much_ prefer she weren't so serious all the time. I mean, yeah, she relaxes sometimes, but come on..._

Kristina hid her face behind her hair as she put her stuff down, mumbling an answer Emmett wasn't supposed to hear. "Well, I'm distracted in class, I think about you constantly, and you're not much help to any of it."

Emmett nearly burst out laughing right there, but was afraid Kristina would think he was weirder than she already did. "I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to hear that, so I'll ignore it."

Kristina turned a wonderful shade of red, a perfect imitation of a cherry. "Why, thank you Emmett, you really know how to make everything better, don't you?" she asked, glaring at him. He could see a hint of humor in her eyes, though.

"Really?" he asked disbelievingly. "Am I that distracting?" he met her gaze, forcing her to tell the truth.

"Yes. Incredibly," Kristina said, being smothered by the gold of his eyes. She didn't understand why she didn't just lie straight out right there. It almost felt as though that were completely impossible.

Emmett's grin grew wider as the seconds passed. He _really_ needed to talk to Edward to figure out what she was thinking right then...

It was alright when he had a class with Kristina, but Emmett's dreadful day passed by slower than normal. It was as though time were taunting him. Giving him more time than he wanted to think about the girl. Kristina and his plan…

After his half-conversation with Edward, he had thought all night about what to do. He desperately, _desperately_ wanted to be with Kristina, but that could put her in _serious_ danger. He just couldn't find a way to agree to either option.

That left one possible answer...

"Kristina!" he called to the girl a way in front of him.

She turned and smiled. "Hey, Emmett, what's up?" she asked in a falsely happy voice. Noticing this, he looked into her eyes, though she avoided his. Something was off...

She looked up a bit and met his stare, flinching. His eyes softened, and his shoulders slumped. Kristina was already afraid of him.

Kristina immediately caught on to this and apologized profusely. "Emmett! No, it—it wasn't you! I—I just had a nightmare last night, a—and whatever was chasing me had golden eyes. And, well—"

Emmett smiled slightly. She was faster than he had thought her to be. He had expected to have to tell her himself, but the possibility of her finding out on her own was very high, he now noticed. "Calm down, Kris. It's fine; I understand."

Kristina sighed and smiled. Walking down the hall with the other teen, she remembered something. "Emm, what'd you want to talk to me about before? When you were calling my name?"

Emmett looked down, procrastinating on answering her. Then, to his luck, they reached her classroom. He held the door open for her, letting her walk through ahead of him to give himself some time.

"Emm?" Kristina asked again with a threatening edge in her voice as she sat down and he took the spot right beside her. "Emmett?" she asked forcefully, turning to face him. She was glaring at him, now, obviously unhappy with him at the moment.

He knew it wouldn't last long, though. "I'll tell you after school, alright? I swear."

She sighed and faced the front of the class as the teacher walked in. "Fine," she mumbled dejectedly. Emmett just smiled slightly. He was happy now, but man, after school could possibly be hell.


	10. Drive

I Don't Bite, I Swear by Skweek-chan

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Ten... Drive

"Emmett, are you sure this is a good idea?" Edward asked, hiding his nerves by talking to his older brother. They had grown quite close of late, most likely because of the girls they were in love with. Being in the same boat really brought people together.

Emmett sighed. "No. I'm not sure. But I don't have any other choices right now, do I?"

Edward looked over at his desperate brother. "The only other choice would be to leave her—" Emmett glared at him "—but I know you won't do that."

Emmett sighed deeply again, taking in the unneeded air, depressed. "I sure can't think of one... But what if she runs away? I seriously doubt I could take that... Actually—"

"Hey, Emm!" someone called from behind the pair, making them turn to see a girl running towards them. She came to a stop in front of them, breathing just a little harder than normal. "Told you I'd be here. So what—is Edward doing here?" she asked, changing her mind mid-sentence.

Edward grinned at her. "Oh, sorry, I just had to remind my brother of something. I'll be off now, though. Nice to talk to you," he said formally.

_Thanks for trying to help, Edward,_ Emmett said to his brother. He got a tiny, brief nod from the other boy before he ran off to his Volvo and awaiting girlfriend. _Oh, and Edward? Please don't listen to this..._ Emmett begged. He knew his brother would obey his plea when he heard him whisper 'I won't' under his breath.

Kristina frowned. "Emmett... What's up?" she asked, her eyebrows coming together.

He avoided her eyes. "Will you take a ride with me?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Emm, I don't—" she started.

"Please, Kris?" he begged, meeting her gaze. She could do nothing but nod. But as she walked around and tried to climb into his giant Jeep, she discovered a new problem. She wasn't necessarily short, but she sure couldn't climb into his tall car.

"Ummm... Emmett? I can't really get in," she said, a light blush tinting her cheeks as she stood there staring at the mini-step leading into the vehicle. This was probably the most embarrassing thing to happen to her in front of him. Her blush grew deeper as he climbed back out of the car and walked around to her side.

He held out his hand, which she took, and helped her in, keeping a hold on her hand with his other on her hip, helping lift her in. She felt as though all of her blood had rushed to her face, making her cheeks and the bridge of her nose a bright, rosy red.

Emmett smiled a tiny bit and walked around to his side to get in. "Where do you wanna go?" he asked, getting in.

"Ummm... I don't know?" she said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Do you like the mountains?" he asked, starting up the Jeep and speeding out the parking lot.

Kristina looked a little nervous about the speeds he reached, but kept her mouth shut about it. "Love 'em," was all she could manage to say.

The boy reached over to her hand, which was holding her armrest as though it was the only thing keeping her alive. He gently pried it off, not forcing her. "Calm down. I'm good at this," he tried to assure her, though he could see it didn't do much.

She took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart, which had decided to kick _further _into over-drive when Emmett had touched her hand. This wasn't a good sign, she kept telling herself. She was falling way too deep, way too fast. Actually, drowning was a more accurate word. Drowning, with Emmett for company.

Everything was silent for a long while, Emmett's racing scaring Kristina too much to speak. "Emmett? What are we doing out here?" she asked after about fifteen minutes, looking around. All she saw were mountains and trees. It was beautiful, she had to admit.

"We gotta talk, and it'd be better if we were away from everyone else," Emmett stated simply, pulling off-road a little slower, that way the smaller girl beside him didn't go flying.

"Emmett? You're starting to scare me here," she told him truthfully, even though it hurt.

He winced. "Please, Kris. You _gotta_ trust me here," he pleaded, slowing to a stop in a clearing. Then, before Kristina could hardly blink, he was at her door, holding out a hand for her. She took it without fear. She really did trust him.

Emmett helped her down, catching her as she tripped over her own feet. She blushed and stood up straight, deciding to pretend that never happened. She stepped away from him, looking at the clearing around her. It was small, especially with the Jeep there. There was a river running directly beside it, shimmering in the light. It was open above her head, letting the little sunlight there was filter through freely.

She gasped. "Oh, Emm, it's wonderful! When did you find it?"

The boy didn't ask, but watched as she walked over to the little stream, looking out over it. "I found it on a hunting trip quite a few years ago," he told her truthfully.

"Really?" she asked, turning to look at him. Just as she turned, she realized he was much closer than she had anticipated. Kristina stumbled back a few steps, catching herself with the help of Emmett just before she fell in.

"Thanks," she sighed, standing up on her own.

"Kristina, we still gotta talk," Emmett said seriously, still not smiling. "Come here," he said, gesturing towards a large, flat rock hanging out over the little stream. He walked over to it ahead of her, sitting down on the edge. He stared out into the water as he waited for her to join him. He was shockingly patient. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, clearing his mind as much as possible before he started talking.

He opened his mouth to ask her again, but heard a light scraping sound beside him as her jeans rubbed against the rougher rock. He almost grinned. He knew there was no way she would say 'no' to him if he asked the right way.

He felt her relax beside him, staring out at the water as well. "Emmett, are you ok?" she asked quietly, as though she was afraid of breaking the silence.

"For a bit," he answered, opening his eyes and looking over at her. "Kristina?"

"Yes?"

"How do you feel about me? My family?" he asked, never taking his eyes away from her.

"W-what?" she asked, confused and a bit startled at the question.

"Kris, answer the question, please."

She looked away from him, thinking hard about her answer. "I love you guys."

"Are you sure?" Emmett asked unsurely.

Kristina answered without hesitation. "Yes. I love you."

Emmett's eyes widened sharply, then closed sadly. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that…" he mumbled, not intending her to hear.

"What?" the girl asked, horrified.

Emmett's eyes closed, and he took a deep, shaky, unneeded breath. "I want to tell you something big before you get yourself too deep."

Kristina began to freak out, her breath coming shorter. "E-Emmett? What are you t-talking about?"

"Have you noticed all the strange things about us? We're never tired, we never eat, we don't go out in sunlight, we don't even always _breathe_."

Kristina just stared on. What the hell was he talking about?

"Please," Emmett pleaded. "Think about this. You're smart; you can put this all together."

She shook her head. "I've put it all together _before_, but nothing makes any sense…"

"Tell me and I'll tell you if you're right or not."

"No, that's embarrassing." Emmett stared at her, not blinking for almost a minute. "Fine. The first thing that came to mind was… vampires."

Emmett grinned, though there was no light in his eyes. "I told them you were smart." She stared at him. "Well, you are right. Me, along with the rest of the Cullens—not including Bella, of course—are vampires."

Kristina stared on. "You're kidding, right? This is just some cruel, insensitive joke, right?"

"No."

"Prove it?" she asked. Emmett's shoulder slumped. "Emmett, I'm sorry. But this isn't exactly something I can just believe out of nowhere."

"I understand."

"Well… to start… tell me about you guys."

"We don't need to breath or eat, but we do drink blood. My family and I are 'vegetarians', which means we only feed on animals. Jasper is the 'youngest,' meaning he's the latest one to go 'vegetarian'. Carlisle changed everyone but me and Jasper. Rose was the one to change me. Now for the freaking myths… we can walk in the sunlight, but our skin sparkles. We don't sleep. We are paler than normal, and we do have extra-sensitive senses. We are beautiful because it is _supposed_ to lure in prey. We live forever, and the only way we can die is if another vampire tears us to shreds and burns the pieces." He paused. "I can't think of anything else at the moment… you?"

Kristina sat there, still staring. Though this time, she was staring at him. He waved a hand in front of her face, and she didn't respond. _Well,_ he thought, _this is better than her screaming and running away…_

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered closed and she tipped over. Thankfully, she fell in the opposite direction of the stream. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered either direction; Emmett caught her anyway, pulling her close to his chest. Sighing, he lifted her up easily and walked back to his Jeep, easily lifting her into her seat. After carefully strapping in, he walked slowly over to his side, climbing in.


	11. Reaction

I Don't Bite, I Swear by Skweek-chan

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Eleven... Reaction

For the entire drive home, Emmett couldn't help taking a peak over at the girl sitting beside him. She looked almost peaceful in her sleep. _Definitely calmer than if she were awake, that's for sure_.

The longer he thought about everything, the more he was beginning to fear her actual reaction though. The one where she freaked out and ran away, scared to death of him and his family. The one where he never saw her again.

_Stop!_ he ordered himself, shaking his head. Kristina was special. She would never do that to him, not if what Edward and Alice had said was true. They had told him many times over that the girl wouldn't run from him if he told her. They said she was capable of accepting him and his family. But it was so hard to believe that when his race was so feared. They had horror movies on vampires twisting tales that must have been passed down. Little kids feared the dark, thinking a vampire would jump out and suck them dry. People even subconsciously avoided people that looked like them.

Finally pulling into the drive, Emmett just sat in his car. He leaned his head back on the head rest, and closed his eyes, stopping his unneeded breath. He needed to relax; calm down before he walked in there. He couldn't even imagine how Rosalie would react. Not to mention the rest of the family...

After about five minutes, he finally got up the guts to take her in. So he picked her up bridal style, lifting her weight easily. Alice opened the door before he got there, and Emmett didn't question her. It was obvious that she would know, and Edward probably knew as well. He nodded to her and stepped in.

He silently raced upstairs before questions were asked. After setting her down gently on a couch he had in his room, he straightened things out. His room was a disaster, and he was almost glad she wasn't conscious to see it.

After that was all taken care of, he sat down beside the laying form on his couch, watching her chest fall and rise with her breath. He sat there for a while, getting his thoughts organized while blocking out Edward. If he was going to find anything out, Emmett would be the one to tell him, not let him go digging around in his mind.

Kristina's breath began to return to the normal pace, and Emmett stood up to give her some room. He didn't want to see her reaction if he was that close to her.

Her eyes suddenly shot open and took in her surroundings. "Where the hell am I?" she asked, sitting up sharply, swaying a little. "What happened to me?" she asked again, looking up to see Emmett standing a little way away from her. "Emmett, why are you standing there like I'm poisonous?" she asked, standing up using the arm of the couch.

He gave her a funny look. "Why are you not running away screaming?" he asked back, watching her every move and reaction.

Kristina closed her eyes. "I'm not going to run."

Emmett looked utterly confused. "Then why is your heart beating so fast?"

"Who wouldn't be startled if they passed out over a river and woke up in their best friend's room?"

"Good point. But seriously, why aren't you running. I imagined a lot of running and screaming. I thought you'd never want to see any Cullen ever again."

The girl collapsed back onto his couch, and he rushed over, making sure she was alright. She flinched back from him, leaning into the back of the couch.

He smiled sadly. "See, I told you, you are afraid of me."

Kristina took a deep breath. "Emm, I swear I'm not afraid of you. I'm just not used to this whole thing yet. Which reminds me... does the rest of your family know you told me?"

Emmett grinned. "Thanks to Edward and Alice, probably. I forgot to tell you about that. Every once in a while, a vampire is created that has special abilities. Edward is one case, Alice as well. Our dear Edward can read people's minds, and Alice can see the future."

Kristina took a deep breath and sat in silence, processing it all.

"Kristina, do you wanna go home?" Emmett asked quietly. "I'll drive you."

She still sat there for another moment, then spoke. "I think I'll stay here, if you don't mind." Emmett looked at her, shocked. "How exactly do you think I could explain this to my mom? 'Oh, yeah, mom, I've just been passed out at Emmett's house for the past couple hours, so I think I'm ready to come home now.'"

Emmett chuckled. "I don't think she'd take that too well, judging by what I've heard of her…"

Kristina smiled. "So it's alright that I stay here than? You're parent's won't mind?"

"Heh. Carlisle and Esme let Bella stay over all the time, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Really?" He nodded. "What about… Rose?" she asked tentatively. The boy flinched.

"She's just gonna have to deal with it," Emmett said heartlessly. "I can only see a couple problems. Obviously, I don't have a bed, but you'll be alright with the couch, right?" She nodded. "You don't have to worry about food, luckily, because Esme goes shopping regularly so we look 'normal'. The biggest problem would be… Rose."

"Emm, I'm not going to stay here if it causes problems. I'd rather deal with my mom than be trouble to you guys."

"Kris, you're not causing any problems. I swear. Besides, if you're that nervous, sleep with Alice. I would just feel a bit better if I knew where you were and that your mom wasn't hassling you just because my family and I have a secret."

Kristina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Man… I'm still trying to get used to that…"

"It takes a while, trust me. Of course, it's even worse on the other end of the deal."

The girl smiled sadly. "I'm sure. And I'm sorry you had to tell someone outside your family about all this. I'm sure they don't really like this, do they?"

Emmett laughed. "Are you kidding? The only person to care is Rose."

"She already knows?"

"Yes. You gotta remember about our abilities. Everyone in the house knows about our conversation, and is listening in right now. Right, Rose?" he asked, still talking in his normal voice.

"EMMETT, I HATE YOU!" someone screamed from somewhere else in the house.

"Told you," Emmett said, cracking up. After catching his breath, he looked back at the girl that would be spending the night at his house. He became serious again. "So, where are you gonna sleep tonight? Home, my room, or with Alice?"


	12. Rose

A/N: Kristina, I hope this is special enough for you. I've been waiting to write something as wonderful as what you've been writing for me. Hope you like it!!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by Skweek-chan

Chapter Twelve… Rose

"I think I'll sleep in your room tonight, if you don't mind," the embarrassed girl told him, looking down.

Emmett grinned genuinely. "Sounds great to me, and Carlisle and Esme are just fine with basically whatever. They trust us."

The girl's stomach growled loudly, making her blush a light pink. "Sorry. I haven't eaten in quite a while."

Emmett burst out laughing, bending over to try and catch breath he didn't need.

She blushed darker. "What the hell's so funny?" she asked defensively.

Emmett continued laughing loudly, not letting up. Of course, after a while, he began to calm down. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, he stood up straight and looked at her. During his little episode, she had decided to sit back down on his couch, impatiently waiting. "Sorry," he apologized. "I was just reminded of something Edward told me a while ago. One thing he seems to love about Bella is the fact that she _is_ human. He says he likes to watch her; he absolutely loves the things she does that we can't."

The poor girl couldn't have blushed deeper, rivaling a tomato. "Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically.

"No, no," he assured her. "I think it's cute."

Oh, they were wrong. She _could_ blush deeper.

He stood silently, smiling gently. "Come on, I can hear your stomach. Let's see what we can dig up around here."

"Sure," she said, standing up and stretching, bending backwards as far as she could.

Emmett growled deeply at the site, then nearly slapped himself. He shouldn't get this attached to the girl this early on. She could still run away at any time.

She gave him a funny look, tilting her head to the side. "Emm, did you just suddenly lose your mind, or what?"

He laughed a bit more before answering her. "No, I'm still sane, I promise. I just noticed something, that's all."

"Care to share?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You really wanna know?" She nodded. "I was just staring at you when you stretched, that's all."

She turned a very dark shade of red, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment. "Emmett!" she yelled, trying her hardest not to burst into laughter. "Don't ogle me!"

He smirked, opening the door for her as they headed downstairs. "Can you honestly say you wouldn't stare at me?"

She stepped out into the hall. "There's a big difference! You don't have boobs!"

"No, but I—"

"Stop right there, I'm sorry I brought it up," she cut off, holding her hand up to stop him.

They both laughed as they walked into the kitchen. "So, what would you like?" Emmett asked politely, sticking his head in the fridge. She walked up behind him and pulled the door open the rest of the way.

"You guys got the stuff for a salad?" she asked, leaning over next to him. He nodded and pulled out everything he had there.

As he looked back in, he tried to find the dressing. "Rose," he started, not looking over his shoulder, "stay away."

There was a deep growl from behind, causing Kristina to whip around, coming face to face with a very pissed-off-looking vampire girl. She was beautiful, though, and Kristina could see why Emmett was in love with her. Though she did still think he deserved better than either of them.

Rose bared her teeth at her, growling. "What's with her? Your new whore?" she spat venomously.

Kristina heard everything fall to the ground, and before she could blink, Emmett was standing over Rosalie, who was stuck lying on the ground. Emmett crouched down, growling quite threateningly at the other vampire. "You will leave now, and you won't talk to Kristina, or about her. Understand?"

Rose smirked from beneath the boy. "Ha. Even you know you could never be happy with anyone other than me."

"Problem with that theory is that I was miserable _with_ you." Emmett stood up, but didn't let his guard down. "Now get. Before I call Carlisle in here."

In a split second, Rose was gone.

"Sorry 'bout that," Emmett apologized.

"No, no," Kristina assured him, watching him prepare the food and wishing she could help. "I understand. But I have to agree with her on one thing."

"What?" Emmett asked, curiosity piqued.

"You're not going to happy with a human."

Emmett froze. "What are you talking about?"

Kristina didn't answer. "I wanna eat first, I'll tell you later."


	13. Fight

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by Skweek-chan

Chapter Thirteen... Fight

Emmett stared at the girl before him as she ate her salad. He felt extremely sorry that she had to even _see_ Rosalie. But more than that, he wanted her to finish. Part of him wanted to get her out of his house, as well, that way she'd be safe away from vampires. But the bigger, more dominant part wanted her to finish and tell him what she had been talking about before...

She stuck the last bite in her mouth, crunching on the ripe lettuce. She pushed her bowl away from her, indicating she was done, and set her head on her arms, resting on the counter. "I'm tired..." she mumbled, resisting a yawn.

Emmett put everything away and placed her dish in the sink. "Well, you gotta wait until you spill about whatever you were talking about earlier. I can't wait much longer."

She yawned again, wider this time, and arched her back, stretching. "But Emm, I'm tired..." she said in an almost whiny voice.

"Kris," the boy said forcefully.

"Fine, fine," she caved. "I just meant that I don't know how you can think you'll be happy if you hang out with me. You're a vampire! You're strong, handsome, charming... you could get absolutely any girl you wanted!"

Emmett rolled his eyes, seeing the point she was trying to make. "I couldn't care any less about any of that. Thinking that way is what got me Rosalie, and you can obviously see how that turned out."

"Not too great..." the girl mumbled, shoulders slumping as she admitted defeat. "Fine, I'll drop it. For now, at least. Don't go thinking you're safe, though. I've been known to be persistent." She smirked and walked out the door, headed to Emmett's room.

"Yeah?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

She punched him in the arm playfully, smiling as they climbed the stairs. "Oh, shut it Emm."

He grinned and rushed to the top of the stairs, beating her by a long-shot. He leaned against the banister and waited as she rushed up the rest of the way. "Not... fair... Emm..." she panted. Apparently she had really rushed up to meet him.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "You alright there, Kris? You look like crap," he said unsympathetically, smirking.

She looked at him and stood straight. "What are you talking about? I'm just fine!"

"Suuuure..." he said, walking off and laughing. She was hilarious, the way she thought she had to keep up with him. He found it incredibly cute.

Emmett froze suddenly, and Kristina nearly crashed into him. "JASPER, EDWARD, SHUT UP!" he randomly yelled, looking incredibly pissed.

"Eeeemmmmmettt?" she asked, taking a few steps back, giving him a funny look. "Are you _sure_ you're alright? You're acting a little weird."

He turned to her, his smile back. "My dear _brothers_ were listening in on us." He paused, obviously listening to them again. "JASPER, EDWARD, YOU BETTER RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!"

And before the girl could hardly blink, Emmett was gone, and there was a loud crash somewhere else in the house. The crashing continued for a while, and didn't let up, and eventually another girl walked into the room where Kristina was standing.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, either completely oblivious to the fighting, or not caring.

"Hi," Kristina said hesitantly, eyeing the floor above her. Was nobody worried about the three boys trying to beat the crap out of each upstairs?

As if reading her thoughts, the girl standing with her said, "Don't worry about them, they're indestructible, remember?"

Kristina blinked. "Oh, yeah. Forgot..."

Bella laughed. "Not used to it yet, are you?"

"Not really..."

The crashing around came to a slow halt, and the three boys walked out of the room, looking like nothing had happened. Weirder still, they looked in perfect condition. Their clothes were fine, and their hair looked great. Kristina gave them a confused look. "Gosh, it sounded like you guys were ripping each other to shreds in there, and then you walk out looking like this..."

"What'd you expect?" came a cheerful voice from behind her.

She whipped around to see a brightly smiling Alice. The girl lunged at her, trapping her in an extremely tight hug.

"Alice... breathe!!!" the poor girl gasped out, starting to turn blue.

The pixie-girl jumped back. "Sorry!" she apologized.

"It's... ok..." Kristina said between panting breaths.

Edward looked at a clock on the wall. "Bells, I gotta get you home before Charlie explodes."

"Alright," the girl said, turning to the other two. "I guess I'll see you guys later then?"

They both nodded, and Edward and Bella walked off.

Emmett sighed. "Kris, you should probably get some rest, too."

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Eeeeemmmm..." she whined, making her eyes big, trying to persuade him otherwise.

"No. You don't want to be tired tomorrow, do you?" he asked, pushing her lightly towards his room.

"Fine..." she consented. With a last look over her shoulder, she waved goodnight to Jasper and Alice. "Goodnight, you two," she called just before Emmett closed the door on them.


	14. Explain

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Fourteen... Explain

Kristina yawned loudly, looking around his room. "I'm not tired, though, Emm. I swear..." she practically pleaded, yawning yet again. Her eyes began to water, and she rubbed them tiredly.

"Kris, I'm not going to believe that, so just give it up already..." he told her, holding back a laugh with a grin. "Just try and get some sleep. It'll make me feel better."

That seemed to change her attitude. Only slightly, though. "But I don't have anything to wear," she told him, still trying to get out of sleep. She didn't think she'd be able to fall asleep in a house full of vampires, even if her life depended on it. She didn't think they would attack her or anything, it's just the thought that scared her.

He nodded at the bed he and Rosalie had bought many years ago. "Looks like Alice already took care of that." And he was right. Laid out on the bed was a pair of dark blue, silk pajamas. "And trust me, she got the size right, too. She's good at stuff like that."

Kristina groaned and picked them up. "Fine, I give. Just let me have a moment," she called over her shoulder as she walked into the bathroom. "I'm still human, this'll take a sec."

Emmett grinned wildly, mind racing. Kristina was going to stay with him. She wasn't going to run away, or curse him out and call him evil. She stood by him. Man, he just couldn't get over it all... She was amazing. He sat down on the bed and waited patiently for her, knowing every moment was well worth it.

There was some running water, and some shuffling, then she came out. Even though the clothes were a little loose, they looked perfect, highlighting her dark hair and eyes. Emmett had to force himself to look away, mentally berating himself for possibly staring...

He felt the bed shift beside him and moved his gaze to the girl he hadn't noticed. She was now sitting beside him, legs crossed and leaning back on her hands. She looked completely relaxed. "You alright, Emm?" she asked innocently. "That's, like, the third time I've caught you staring off into space. Not including the times you were listening to your brothers."

The boy flopped back on the bed, bouncing her beside him. "I've just been thinking a lot lately. You seem to do that to me... The others have noticed it, too."

She lay beside him. "Explain," she said, almost asking.

When he still stayed silent and unmoving, she began to worry. It wasn't the fact that he wasn't moving, she was quickly getting used to the whole idea of vampires. It was the look on his face. There was an underlying of fear, but what she noticed most was the anger. "Are Edward and Jasper thinking things about me again?" she joked, hiding her fear.

Emmett sat up quickly. "I don't know about Jasper, but Edward gave me a little insight. He says you're dead-set to get changed, even though I've already said no. What's that about?"

Kristina looked to the ground, guilty. "Like I said before," she started quietly, "you'll never be happy with a human. Can you imagine having to watch the one you love wither away? Can you imagine what it would be like for _me_? I would slowly grow older, while you stay young and handsome. I don't want to have to go through that, Emmett. I can't even imagine the pain."

His eyes hardened. "Well maybe you can imagine the pain of transformation? First there's the actual bite, which is painful in itself. Then there's the agony of the venom, coursing through your veins until it reaches every inch of your body. You're burning everywhere, inside and out. Last, your body has to go through the actual physical change. Everything becomes tougher, you're bones and skin stronger. Your teeth change, too." He paused to let that all sink in, but just as he was about to continue, she spoke up.

"I'm sure I could stand that if you were there," she whispered, not lifting her gaze.

"That's not the last of it," Emmett put in, his tone still sad and serious. "Everyone in this household feeds from animals, not humans. For a newly-turned, that's incredibly hard. Worse than that, actually. And if you think you could handle it, ask Jasper what it was like for him."

Kristina didn't know what to say; what to think. She was shocked by it all, and that was evident. She stared off into space as Emmett had done a bit before. But this time, she had a different look on her face. It was one of realization and fear.

The teenage boy with her sat in silence as he watched for her reaction. It wasn't his intention, but he realized she could very well run for her life right now. Maybe, for some unknown reason, the only reason she had stuck around was because she wanted to be changed...

He spoke, breaking the silence. "Kris, get some rest and think about it, alright? I swear I will change you if it's something that you truly want. Not until some other things happen first, though, alright?"

She nodded silently, not having control of her voice yet. She cleared her throat and shook her head, as though she was trying to dislodge some thought she no longer wanted. "I think sleeping on it sounds like a great idea," she said quietly, crawling over the bed and under the covers. Before she lay down, though, she turned and spoke to Emmett again. "I have a few things to say before I pass out. Most importantly, I'm not staying human. Now, regarding that, I'm not leaving you either; I'm here to stay. Last: I would love it if you were the one to change me, but I'm sure Carlisle would do it instead."

Emmett stared at her, his jaw nearly dropping.

She rolled over to lie on her side, turning her back to him. "Good night, Emm. Talk to you in the morning," she finished with a loud yawn.

There was a soft whimper in the dark. Emmett opened his eyes quickly, thinking something might be wrong. But, as he looked around the room, he saw nothing out of place. Just Kristina, sleeping in his bed. He heard the whimper again, and this time he realized the sound was coming from the tossing and turning girl.

"Hnn," she whimpered again, rolling onto her other side. She was having a nightmare, and an awful one at that. She gasped, still with her eyes closed.

The boy could do nothing watch as she rolled over repeatedly, whimpering every once in a while. He felt the fear rolling off of her, even though he didn't have Jasper's powers.

After watching her for a few seconds more, he stood from the chair he was sitting in and slowly walked over to her, careful not to make any noise whatsoever, which wasn't incredibly hard. Kristina whimpered again, louder, more pleading this time.

"Kris?" Emmett asked quietly, slowly sitting down on the bed beside her. She flinched away from the movement, whimpering again. His eyes softened and his dead heart cringed.

"Kristina? I'm right here," Emmett called quietly to her, rubbing her arm, trying to comfort her. But as soon as he touched her, she screamed and awoke, a look of utmost terror on her face. Emmett stood and backed away from her to give her some space.

She sat there, panting heavily for a few minutes, not speaking. Then, after she was under control again, she looked over at Emmett with pleading eyes. "Emm, come here," she pleaded. "I don't bite, I swear," she said jokingly, though there was very little humor in her voice.

He stayed where he was for a moment, obviously thinking things over carefully. Finally, he walked forward and sat down beside her on the bed. They were both silent for a while, and the air seemed ready to burst with the tension. Who would be the first to break it?


	15. Tease

A/N: I changed my pen-name, for those of you that got confused. I out grew my old nickname, and decided to change it. Hope that don't cause problems! Oh, by the way, THIS IS ALMOST ENTIRELY FLUFF!!! Beware if you don't like stuff like this. But, Kristina, I thought you'd enjoy it!!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter 15... Tease

"Emm..." Kristina started, at the same time as Emmett.

"Kris," he said, continuing when she fell silent. "Are you alright?" he questioned her. "What was that all about?"

She took a deep, shaky breath and began explaining. She had had the same nightmare that she had been having the last couple nights, since just before she had met him. She was always in the same place, and there was always the same person chasing her. Her legs always gave out at the same time. The only thing that ever changed, was what the man would say. Sometimes he was nice to her, not including holding her to the wall. A couple of times he had yelled at her, telling her to leave before she died. And rarely, he had said nothing, just holding her to the wall for a second, and disappearing like all the others.

After she was done telling Emmett everything she could possibly remember, she became tired again. He walked off to where he had sat before and watched her as she tried to fall asleep again. She kept moving around, rolling over and over, obviously uncomfortable wherever she was.

Emmett sighed an unneeded breath. "Are you going to be able to get any sleep at all?" he asked her, standing, yet again, and walking over to sit on the edge of the bed.

She rolled over on her other side, so she'd be able to see him when they talked. "This was exactly why I was avoiding sleep. I've been having this nightmare for the past week or so, and it scares the crap out of me every time. I always run, I always get caught, and he always disappears. Every time; same time. The worst part is, I don't know who he is…"

"Do you see anything of him? Right before he disappears?" Emmett asked rationally, determined to figure this out.

"Just his eyes. Every. Single. Time. They're gold. Always a molten, gold…" she trailed off at the end, a scared look coming to her eyes and dancing across her face.

Emmett stood up quickly, backing away from her again. There were only a few things she could have seen. Actually, there were only a couple of _people_ she could have seen, and there was no way he could tell which one it was. She could have seen him for all he knew. That was what scared him so badly. There was obviously something else that was to happen in that dream, and if it came true, he could possibly hurt her.

"Emm, you ok?" she asked kindly, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "You're acting strange…"

Emmett sat down where he had stayed before, sitting on a couch toward the other side of the room. "I'm fine, Kris. Just try to get some sleep before the sun comes up, alright?"

Sighing, the girl crawled back into the bed and laid down, mumbling "fine." But this time was no more successful than the last. She was still tossing and turning and groaning in frustration. After about five minutes of that, she sat up and looked over at the teenage boy on the couch.

"Emm?" she asked quietly.

He looked over at her, but in the current darkness, she couldn't really see him. "What's up?" he asked happily.

She looked down and to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Could you come here?" she asked quietly, though he heard her, plain as day.

Emmett stood and walked over to the bed, yet again sitting on the edge. "You okay? What, you want me to sleep with you?" he joked, laughing lightly.

Her cheeks bloomed bright rose, and she looked further away from him, nearly turning her back to the boy.

He felt guilty. "You do? Most people would rather I stayed further away…"

"Well…" she started, her blush not letting up. "It's just easier for me to fall asleep with someone close by. I usually have to deal with it myself, but…"

She still looked embarrassed, but nodded her head. After staring away from him for a while, she just shrugged her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she said, "You know, I'll be fine. I've always dealt with it my…self…"

She trailed when she felt the weight shift suddenly and sensed someone behind her. She whipped around quickly, already knowing who was there, but not quite believing it. But, there he was, the hot teenager laying behind her above the covers and looking at her with a wild grin. "Can't procrastinate on sleep anymore, Kris," he told her truthfully.

She sat there, stuttering incomprehensibly. He listened to her for a few seconds, staring and smiling, but shut her up quickly when he decided to. He reached over quickly, though still using human speed, and gently grabbed her around the waist, turning her around and pulling her against his chest.

She gasped in shock. This was certainly not what she had expected. "E-E-Emmett?" she stuttered quietly as she laid with him.

"Shhh," he whispered soothingly, squeezing her lightly. "Just get some sleep!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Sure… like I can sleep now…"

He knew what she was talking about. Her heart was beating erratically, and her breath was abnormal. He grinned as he thought about what he could do to her. For a few minutes, as she settled down, he considered having fun and testing what he could to her.

An evil grin spread across his lips, unseen by Kristina. If she _had_ seen him, she might have had a chance. But as it was…

His grin growing wider, Emmett tightened his grip around the girl's waist, pulling her flush against his chest. He felt her pulse flutter again, more this time. She kept quiet, though.

Wanting more of a reaction, he decided to try more. He leaned his head nearer to her neck, breathing gently over her bare skin. She shivered and shied away from it, leaning her head to the side as though it were just an itch. His grin grew a bit more.

He decided to try one more thing. He waited, though, until she settled down again. Just as her breathing began to slow down and even out, signaling sleep, he lightly traced his fingers over the side of her stomach. He traced circles and swirls into her skin with the barest of a touch, smiling when she shied away, yet again. He kept this up for a minute or so, only ceasing when she actually rolled over to face him.

"Are you _trying_ to torture me or something?" she asked, her voice sounding both tired and… happy.

"I'm not trying," Emmett replied, smiling. "Much."

She rolled her eyes and rolled over, turning her back to him again. And, just like before, he pulled her flush to his chest. "Emm…" she said, a warning tone in her voice. "You were the one bugging me to get some sleep before. But now you have me so awake I could run a mile!"

He smiled. "Sorry," Emmett apologized. "I'll behave now." He paused and he heard her sigh. "I swear, I'll keep my hands to myself."

"You better," the girl threatened jokingly.

He did, and she quickly fell asleep. There were no more nightmares that night.


	16. Future

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Sixteen…Future

" 'Morning, Emm," a tired girl yawned, stretching back like a cat.

There was no response, just utter silence. The girl rolled over and sat up in the bed, looking around the room and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She noticed she was alone, and sighed deeply. Deep down, she had hoped to wake up cradled with Emmett just like last night. No such luck.

"Emmett? Anyone?" she asked, knowing someone would probably hear her. "I'm lost and confused in here!"

There was a light rap on the door, and a quiet, "may I come in?"

Well, it definitely wasn't Emmett, she could tell that by the voice. There was a girl out there. _Alice,_ Kristina realized suddenly. "Oh, come in Alice!"

The door opened, and a small, energetic girl bounced through, closing it behind her. "Hi!" she said cheerily, jumping up onto the comfy bed. "Emmett just asked me to watch you while he was away! And he wanted me to tell you something… I just gotta remember what it was…" The girl paused, deep in thought.

Kristina rolled her eyes. "That can wait, but—" her stomach growled loudly, "—I'm _starving_…"

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed. "That was one thing he told me to remember! He said to make sure you ate."

Kristina blushed. "Really?" she asked squeakily. She cleared her throat and shook her head, trying to think of something other than how absolutely _sweet_ it was that Emmett had been thinking about her ahead of time. "Well, then, while I eat, can you tell me what Emmett's doing?"

The other girl bounced up. "'Course! Come on!" She grabbed Kristina's hand and bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen, nearly ripping the other girl's arm out of socket. "Esme shops to make us seem normal, so we've got plenty of food."

Kristina was too nice to tell the other girl that she already knew this. "Thank you," she said politely as they walked through the door. Alice sat down at one of the stools around the counter, watching her every movement. A normal person probably would have been creeped out by the stare, but Kristina was becoming used to it already.

"So…" Alice started, messing with a small piece of her short hair. "How're you and Emmett doing?" she asked casually.

Kristina blushed lightly, trying to hide it as she dug through the fridge. "We're fine. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I'm just a concerned sister, that's all… And I just want to keep Emmett safe." She paused. "I don't want to see him get hurt again."

Kristina smiled sadly. "I don't _plan_ on hurting him, but…"

"Trust me," Alice injected, "I know."

Kristina suddenly remembered that Alice was the one that could see into the future. She thought about this for a moment. Then asked, "What do you see in store for us?"

Alice thought for a moment, staying silent as Kristina dug around the room and found a blueberry muffin. "I don't see anything yet. Neither of you has made a definite choice, so I can't tell. Sorry."

"So that's how the visions work?" Kristina asked curiously as she heated up her muffin.

"Yeah. I can only see things that people have already decided. And, no, I can't see what exactly the decision is. Though sometimes I can take a pretty good guess."

A thick silence fell as the human continued eating, eventually finishing and washing her plate. She sat back down with a sigh. "Sooooo..." Pausing, she took a deep breath, "what should we do?"

The pixie girl thought for a minute or so, mentally debating some possibilities that Kristina didn't know. "Well..." she began. "I could give you a makeover?"

Kristina's eyes widened considerably. "No!"

Alice looked taken aback, but then she smiled. "Emmett mentioned that you probably wouldn't like that idea… Alright then…" she mumbled. "What do you suggest we do?"

"I truly have no idea…" Kristina mumbled.

"We've got movies, and popcorn if you want some. We've got games. We've got just about anything else, just name it. What do you think?"

"Where is everybody else?" Kristina asked.

"Around. Jasper's in his room, Esme's cleaning around, Carlisle's at the hospital… Why?"

Kristina grinned. "What would you and Jasper say to a game of truth or dare?"

Alice began bouncing excitedly around. "Jasper, get your butt in here," she said in a normal but excited voice.

Obviously, Jasper said something Alice didn't like, because she abruptly stopped her excited bouncing. "Jasper!" she yelled, making Kristina flinch. "This isn't negotiable! Get in here now!"

A second later, Jasper was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking a bit annoyed with Alice. "Sweetie, you know I don't like this game," he began, walking over to the two girls.

Alice grinned and stood, walking into the living room and sitting on the comfy couch. Kristina followed suit, and Jasper walked in as well. He refused to sit, though.

"I don't care if you don't like it! Kristina wants to play, and I promised Emmett I would keep her entertained."

Kristina blushed a bright red. "A-Alice, if Jasper doesn't want to play, that's fine. We can watch a movie, like you suggested before, or we could find something else."

Jasper looked over at her, a look of gratitude glowing in his eyes. It wasn't there for long, however, because Alice decided to crush it. "Nice try you two. You can't just say you want to play, then change your mind. Not fair!"

Jasper went over and whispered something in his wife's ear. Kristina just sat there, waiting to figure out if they were playing or not. Alice whispered back, gesturing with her hands. Then Kristina smiled when the look on Jasper's face brightened. Apparently fate had turned in his favor.

Alice began her bouncing again, and Jasper sat calmly beside his wife, still looking happy.

Alice calmed down a bit, and began talking again. "Alright, Kristina, ready to play?"

Her jaw dropped. "What?" she questioned, looking over at Jasper in her confusion, searching for an answer that made sense of this madness.

Jasper grinned at her look, and probably the feelings rolling off of her. "Alice and I just decided to modify the rules. It's truth or dare, without the 'dare' part."

Kristina nearly blushed. She had planned on avoiding the 'truth' part of the game, but now she had no choice. She knew they'd ask things about her and Emmett she didn't want to answer. This wasn't going to turn out too well… She took a deep breath. "Anything else?" she asked, hoping and praying that there wasn't.

"Just one thing," Alice began. When she didn't continue, Kristina waved her hand in the air to signal the pixie to continue. "You have two choices. Either answer the question, or take off one piece of clothing."

"What?!" Kristina screamed. No way in hell was she going to strip in front of Alice, much less Jasper. "No." She paused and took a deep breath. "No, no, no. Nice try. Take me home!" She had added the last part as an afterthought.

Alice and Jasper looked hurt for a moment, but recovered. "Come on, Kristina!" the other girl begged. "If you just answer all the questions, you'll be perfectly safe!"

Jasper finally spoke to her. "Kristina, she's right. If you just answer the questions, you won't be embarrassed."

Her jaw dropped. "_Won't be embarrassed_?!" she squeaked out incredulously. "Hell yeah, I'm gonna be embarrassed!"

Alice's eyes got big and watery. "Come ooooon, Kristinaaaaaa!" she said in a high, whiny voice. "We promise to keep it calm!"

The girl looked between them, back and forth, Alice to Jasper, Jasper to Alice. Finally sighing in defeat, she asked miserably, "Who's first?"


	17. Strip

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter Seventeen… Strip

"Oh, oh, oh!" Alice squealed. "I'll go first, I'll go!" She began bouncing again, more excited than earlier.

"Alright…" Kristina mumbled, tapping her chin and trying to think of something she wanted to know about Alice. "How long ago were you changed?" she finally asked, deciding to start out easy.

The pixie rolled her eyes. "1920," she stated simply. There was a strange look in her eyes. It disappeared as fast as Kristina had noticed it, however, and she asked her question. "Kristina, is Emmett your first boyfriend?"

The human blushed a bit. "No," Kristina answered, keeping it as short as she could. She _really_ didn't want to think about that kind of crap. It was bad enough just staying in her memories, she wouldn't bring it to the surface as well. "So," she began, facing Jasper. "How did you meet our little Alice here?" she asked, grinning.

Both of their faces lit up, obviously signaling a great story. "We met in a diner in Philadelphia. I had been running away from people who only wanted control. I walked into the diner to shelter from the rain and immediately saw this beauty sitting there. I walked over, and she told me she had been waiting for me. I bowed and apologized for the wait, and we've been together ever since." He put his arm around the pixie-girl, as he finished, and she nestled into his side.

_Not fair..._ Kristina found herself thinking. Right after the thought passed through her mind, however, she nearly slapped herself. It wasn't like her to be jealous of people like that. But she couldn't help thinking how much more romantic their meeting had been than hers and Emmett's. She had only dreamed of something like what had happened to them in that diner.

"Kristina?" Alice asked, looking at the girl, worry furrowing her brow. She had been told to keep her happy and fed, and so far she wasn't doing too great on one.

Kristina looked up at her and smiled a fake smile. "So, Jasper, what do you wanna know?" she asked in a cheery voice, ignoring Alice.

"Hmmm," he thought aloud. "Why did you start dating Emmett?" he asked plainly to hide his interest.

Kristina sat in silence, thinking and thinking. Why had she started—"Wait! We're not dating!" she yelled, startling herself.

The two vampires grinned at her. "That's what you think," they said in unison, making her give them strange and confused looks. What the hell were they talking about? Jasper pretended to clear his throat, interrupting her thoughts. "You haven't answered the question yet, Kris."

She stiffened at the sound of her nickname. There were very few people that she allowed to call her by 'Kris.' Jasper was not yet among them. Though she wasn't worried. Surely Jasper could feel that, right? He could feel that she was uncomfortable with the name, that she didn't like it. Hopefully.

"Oh, y-yeah," she stuttered, getting back to the boy's original question. "Well, I—" she stopped and thought harder for a moment. "Wait, I can't answer that. I told you before: we're not dating." The boy opened his mouth to protest. "My turn, you got your answer." She turned to Alice. "Who turned you?"

The smaller girl's eyes took on a strange look. "Oh," she mumbled quietly. "A man named Will changed me." (A/N: I don't know the real man's name, I just know she was changed by a man she met when she was in the asylum.)

Kristina had the feeling she had asked something that should have stayed quiet. Damn. Alice looked up at the other girl. "Yay! My turn!" She thought for a moment, a blank look coming to her face, mostly her eyes. She shook herself out of it and smiled widely. "Kristina, would you ever ask Emmett out, and if so why haven't you?"

"Hey! Not fair! That's two questions!" Kristina cried indignantly.

"But she worded them as one," Jasper pointed out, smiling.

"You could do that with any questions!" the girl pointed out. "And not only that, but you could ask any number of questions! Totally _unfair_!"

Jasper opened his mouth to protest in defense of his wife, but Alice gently placed a hand on his arm. "It's ok," she told him, then turning to Kristina again. "Would you ever ask Emmett out?"

_That_, Kristina was not willing to answer. Knowing what they would say when she refused, she reached down, untied her shoe, and took it off.

Alice stared at her, mouth hanging open. She hadn't predicted that Kristina wouldn't answer _any_ of the questions her and Jasper would ask. She was slightly confused now. Why wouldn't the girl answer? Was she afraid of making Emmett's family mad, or something? The pixie-like girl couldn't think of an answer, nor could she see one. Her brows furrowed.

Kristina pretended to brighten up. "Alright, my turn!" She paused in thought, looking back and forth between the two vampires while trying to decide who to ask. Finally, she decided on Jasper again. "Jasper… Emmett once told me you were obsessed with the Civil War. Why?"

Jasper grinned brightly. "I used to actually be a Major in the Confederate Army. The youngest Major, to be exact. Ever since then, it has just meant a lot to me."

Kristina was momentarily taken aback, but this disappeared as she realized she was merely fooled by his young appearance. All things considered, anybody in the house could be any age, and she wouldn't be able to tell until she asked. For all she could _see_, Carlisle could be the youngest one here, though she had been told differently. The whole 'vampire' deal was going to take a bit to get _completely_ used to.

Jasper ran a hand through his hair quickly. "Kristina… why didn't you answer Alice's question?" Immediately after asking the question, he probed her feelings, judging her reaction. He felt an immediate swirl of emotion and set to trying to decipher and untangle them. There was definitely a lot of embarrassment, and confusion, and there was also quite a bit of hesitation.

She was blushing quite profusely as she untied and took off the other shoe, but she pasted on a 'happy' smile afterward, and went on questioning the two. In the next half hour, she figured out much about Alice and her husband. She figured out more about Jasper's power and past, along with Alice's past and a couple things she had seen in the future. All the while, they asked the same exact questions, trying to figure out why Kristina hadn't asked Emmett out, what she wanted from him, why she was with him. Why the hell she wouldn't answer the _freaking_ questions!

Still adamant about not answering, Kristina was forced to keep taking off layers. She took off her other shoe first, then her socks, and last, her jacket. She was extremely nervous now. There was no more procrastinating now; if they asked her another question like the others one more time, she would end up thoroughly embarrassed, no matter if she answered or not. Nervously, she wrung her hands as Jasper stared at her.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask her the dreaded question, he and Alice froze at the same time. They tried to hide it, though, but Kristina noticed the small smirk on their faces. Something was up.

"So," the boy began, "why do you like Emmet?"

Kristina turned red again, but decided it was semi-safe to answer this question. "Well…" she began. "He's sweet, and thoughtful. He's obviously been hurt in the past, so I feel a bit sorry for him, and kind of want the chance to fix it. He's like a giant teddy bear. And… I kind of… I don't know." She paused and took a long, deep breath. "I'm not sure how to explain it."

Alice was staring at her, but finally she broke the silence and spoke. "I don't really know if that was a good enough answer…" she trailed off, looking to her husband. He shook his head at Kristina, indicating he agreed with Alice and was leaving Kristina to fend for herself.

The human girl's eyes grew wide. "I answered it just fine! That's not fair! I did just what you asked, so there's nothing wrong with my answer!"

"I don't know," Alice began slowly. "I think you left something to be desired." She paused dramatically. So… your choice. Looks like it's either your pants… or your shirt."

She began laughing quietly, though slightly hysterical. "No. That's not fair. Nice try." She backed up a bit, like she thought that would help her. It wouldn't; there was nowhere to go. They kept staring at her, Alice with a smirk playing along her lips. She shook her head again.

"You know," Jasper said, looking over at his wife, "I'm not quite sure who to side with right now."

Alice rolled her eyes at him, almost making the decision for him who to choose. "Fine," he collapsed. "Either your shirt or your pants."

Kristina glared at him, and Alice smacked him upside the head, glaring at him. "What?" he asked. She tilted her head, still giving him a sharp look. "Oh, come on! It's not as thought _I_ actually want to see my brother's _almost_-girlfriend half-naked!" Alice rolled her eyes, shaking her head some more. "Sure," the boy mumbled. "First you _want_ me to agree with you, then I get smacked for it…"

The two girls giggled. Then, Alice got all serious again. "Your choice, Kristina."

"Ugh…" she grumbled. "Fine." She sat up straight and, still blushing brightly, she peeled off her shirt and tossed it beside her into the pile of her shoes, socks and jacket. Now, she sat there, in front of Alice and Jasper, in her bra and pants. She felt… exposed. And a bit chilly.

Then she heard a slightly growling chuckle from behind her.

She spun around in utter shock, not believing what her instincts told her. They told her Emmett was standing just behind her, laughing at her and trying unsuccessfully to hide it. They told her she would be better off right now if she just crawled under a rock and hid for the rest of her life. They told her to be _mortified_.


	18. View

A/N: Sorry I haven't been putting in an author's note for a while, but sometimes they feel just plain useless. This story is _still_ dedicated to Kristina, the real Alice Cullens.

IMPORTANT!! I haven't been getting much feedback lately, and I don't know if that is just because people don't feel like writing a review, or if it's because they don't like my story. : ( I'd absolutely LOVE to know what ya'll think!!

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter 18… View

_Oh no…_ was the singular thought that whispered through Kristina's mind repeatedly as she gazed upon Emmett, staring at her with his mouth almost hanging open. _They knew_, was the next thought she had as she turned back around to hide her embarrassment and saw the looks on Alice and Jasper's faces. They looked as though they were about to burst into laughter. Kristina supposed the main reason Jasper looked a bit confused was because of all the emotions swirling in the room.

Kristina nearly growled at the sight, but before she could so much as make a grab for one of them, they sped off, ditching her to deal with her embarrassment and Emmett by herself. Kristina immediately swore revenge.

"Uhh, h-hi, Emmett," she stuttered, nervously running a hand through her hair. Suddenly, her light blush turned much deeper as she realized she was literally sitting in front of this boy with her shirt off, and, for the most part, with her jaw hanging to the floor. She crossed her arms across her chest, as if that would be of any help. This didn't seem too promising…

"Nice view," the larger boy commented, sitting on the couch across from her and crossing his legs in a very comfortable manner. He didn't seem the least bit unnerved by her current state of undress. Instead, he seemed to think it a bit funny that she was so shy and nervous around him.

Her blush darkened and she gripped her shoulders tighter. "Gee, thanks," she spat sarcastically, quickly grabbing her shirt and pulling it over her head. Straightening herself out, she looked over at him again. He looked better, happier. His eyes here that perfect golden color, instead of that pitch black she only just realized they were last night. His skin was paler, though it made him look a bit 'healthier'. The ever-present shadows under his eyes were a bit lighter, though still too dark to be normal.

"So," he began, still quite obviously enjoying her discomfort. "How's your day been?" He picked a leaf off of his shoulder, flicking it to the ground and pinning her with one of his warm stares.

She only stared at him, too embarrassed to speak. _He saw me in a bra… he saw me in a bra…_ repeatedly ran through her mind, as though a CD were scratched. _It's okay,_ she tried telling herself. _It's not nearly as bad as you think… He was just messing around… he didn't mean it. Breathe, breathe…_ Slowly, she got herself back in control and slowed her breathing back to normal. "O-oh, my day's been just fine. Alice offered to take me shopping, but I turned it down, for fear of my life. After that, I… for some unknown reason… suggested we play truth or dare. I'm not quite sure what got into me, I normally hate that game… Anyway, Alice and Jasper decided to change the rules to Truth or Strip."

He laughed. "Oh, let me guess…" Emmett started. "They kept asking things about the two of us? Like if we'd kissed yet, if you were _in love_ with me… that kind of thing?" He looked at her expectantly, his head tilted to the side and his warm copper eyes somehow forcing the truth from her lips.

"They didn't ask if we'd kissed yet, but that type of thing, yes." She blinked her eyes a couple of times, and shook her head. "How the hell did you just get me to say that? Totally unfair!" she cried indignantly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that some vampire-thing you haven't told me about?"

He laughed loudly. "No, I told you everything I could think of. Promise," he crossed his heart, then cracked up even more. This time, Kristina joined him. There was no specific reason _why_ she started laughing, but there was something strangely contagious about his laughter. It was really, truly, happy laughter. It had been much too long since she had loosened up like this. It felt… odd.

Slowly, they both settled down into a mostly-comfortable silence, thinking. Kristina was thinking about why the boy was sitting with her, and why she always seemed so distracted with him around. Emmett was thinking about how he could talk to her without her getting defensive or embarrassed. He finally decided to speak. "Hey, Kristina?" he asked quietly.

"Y-yes?" she asked, stuttering as she came out of her thoughts. Kristina blinked a couple times and focused on Emmett, shoving any other thoughts to the back of her mind.

"I was just wondering…" he trailed off. Wow, it _really_ wasn't like him to beat around the bush, so he forced himself to be as blunt as possible with her. "Why the heck are you hanging around a family of vampires? Are you just looking to be changed? Or are you seriously crazy?" He paused and stared at her for a minute or two. "Wh—"

She cut him off quickly, standing so fast she almost took a tumble. "Will you take me home now?" she asked quite suddenly. "I think my mom's worried enough."

For a split second, Emmett looked as though he may burst into tears, if he had any. But he regained control and nodded his head, standing and walking to the door. The next couple days were going to be hell if he couldn't get these answers.

_Well, then, I'll just have to get them..._ Emmett thought. "Sure, I'll drive you," he said, smiling happily.


	19. Answers

I Don't Bite, I Swear by

_I Don't Bite, I Swear_ by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.

Chapter 19… Answers

The entire car ride was made in silence. Complete and utter silence. Neither of them turned on the radio, or popped in a CD, for fear of having to speak to one another about what they should listen to. That seemed to be one thing they were avoiding at all cost, as if they would be forced to talk about… something. Neither Kristina nor Emmett _really_ knew what that subject was. They just didn't want to bring it up, so therefore didn't talk.

After a few minutes, Emmett arrived at the girl's house. They both stayed there, Emmett waiting for her to get out that way he may be able to go hunting again. He may have just gone, but that was the only way he could think of to relieve this energy and frustration. But Kristina didn't get out, she just sat there, staring off into space with a pensive look on her face. "Emmett?" she asked eventually.

He blinked a couple times and looked over at her, looking a bit like a puppy that had been kicked for getting into the garbage. She almost whimpered in regret at snapping at him, but kept talking with as smooth a voice as she could. "I… I'm kinda stuck. You're giant Jeep's too tall, I still haven't mastered climbing in and out of it…"

For just a moment, Emmett nearly laughed. Then he became serious again, climbing out quickly and helping her down, lifting her lightly by the hips and setting her down. He almost seemed hesitant to let go. Emmett then shut the door behind her and walked the smaller girl up to her door.

She opened the door quickly and walked through, turning and nodding to him in goodbye. He took the cue and walked away.

"I'm home, mom!" Kristina called randomly to the house, not even knowing for sure if the lady was there.

"Hi, sweetie!" she responded, sticking her head out of the kitchen for a quick second, then returning with no further contact.

Kristina, used to this, locked herself in her room and turned up her radio. Hours and hours passed, and nothing much happening as Kristina surfed the internet. Then, she started feeling a bit funny. One of those, someone's-watching-me-but-I-can't-see-them kind of feelings. But as she looked around, she realized how ludicrous that feeling was. She was _downstairs_! Nobody could be watching her! But even if she was upstairs, what kind of person would want to watch _her_? (A/N: no offense, Kristina. You're definitely not a boring person!! I love my twin!)

But no matter how often she told herself this, no matter how often she looked around to find nobody there, she could not rid herself of this feeling.

After fussing with it for almost ten minutes, she decided to try distracting herself. She turned up some music, her newest Meg & Dia CD, and walked quietly to the kitchen for something to eat. She dug through a couple of drawers, shoved some things around in the cupboards, and finally decided on an apple from the fridge.

She bit into it as she walked out the kitchen door, staring around at her empty, lifeless-looking house as she leaned against the doorjamb. Her mom obsessively cleaned the place constantly when she was home waiting for something to bake, making it spotless.

Kristina walked through the place quietly, not wishing to wake her mother, but not wanting to stand still. She had been going slowly stir crazy lately, and could no longer bare to sit in her room.

Something scratched lightly on the living room window.

Kristina started, standing up perfectly straight and looking around frantically. She knew for a _fact_ that that was not her imagination. Slowly, she looked around the room, taking slow, quiet steps along the floor to check behind the couch and around the TV. Finally, when she had discovered nothing, she got up the guts to look through the window.

Hesitantly, she pulled back the drapes, closing her eyes at first, then opening them to see what was there.

Emmett smiled back at her, his hair slightly ruffled and his eyes glowing bright copper. _Why the _hell_ is he here? At this time of night, no less!_ Kristina thought as she quickly walked to the front door to let him in. Just as she opened it, she put a finger to her lips, signaling him to be as quiet as possible. He nodded his head and stepped in.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she whispered harshly, reaching up and slapping him upside the head. He hardly flinched.

"I needed to talk to you," he replied, looking down and away.

Kristina rolled her eyes dramatically. "And why the _hell_ couldn't this wait 'til the morning?!" She paused, and Emmett opened his mouth to defend himself. She cut him off with, "You know what, I don't care at the moment. My mom could be down here at any time, so you need to get out. You can talk to me in the morning, at school."

"I won't be here in the morning," Emmett said quickly, dragging Kristina by the wrist down to her room. "Carlisle's taking all of us to Denali. And when I say all, I mean you, too, Kris."

She allowed herself to be pulled by the large teen, completely confused and lost in her own little world. He pulled her through her door, closing it behind the both of them and turning to face her.

"Emmett Cullen, tell me what the hell is happening here!" Kristina said, a bit louder than she had meant. She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

"Trouble is headed our way, and apparently Carlisle thinks you have something to do with it. Therefore, you are coming with us. Now pack your bags, we've gotta get out of here."

Her jaw had dropped after the first three words, and now she was just plain amazed. "Emmett? What the fuck are you talking about, 'trouble'? There's _never_ trouble in Forks! That's why my mom moved here, for God's sakes!"

Emmett glared at her, growling low and running his hand through his hair. She jumped back from him. "Kristina," he said harshly. "You've gotta believe me here! Everyone in Forks is in danger unless we can head it off! Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella… they're all coming, and we need you to come with us, too."

She stared at him for a moment as though he were speaking a different language. Then, slowly, she began laughing. Hysterically, as though this was all too much for her to handle. She rubbed her hands over her eyes, she closed and opened them multiple times, as though she thought Emmett was an illusion she could blink away without a second thought.

He merely stood there. "Kristina," he started, then cut off when he realized he didn't know what to say. He looked around the room, opened and closed his mouth a couple times. Nothing happened. He no longer knew what to say to the girl to make her believe him.

Kristina scratched the side of her arm awkwardly. "Uh, Emm? I need--" She cut off as cold, strong arms wrapped tightly around her, squeezing the breath from her lungs, but in a very loving way. It certainly wasn't something she was used to...

"Kristina," Emmett whispered. "I need you to believe me. I need someone to believe me here!" He sounded as though he would have burst into tears, if he were able. But he kept everything together, just standing there, holding Kristina tight.

"What the hell, Kristina!?" someone screamed in shock from somewhere behind the two.


End file.
